Generating renewable power is only part of the equation; once electricity is captured from green sources, such as solar, wind and biomass, it has to be transmitted. According to a recent study, state governments are failing to supply the needed infrastructure to make this happen.

The report, titled “Freeing the Grid” is prepared by a coalition of alternative energy advocates, the Network for New Energy Choices, the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC), the Vote Solar Initiative and the Solar Alliance. In its update of a 2006 study on the same issue, the current report analyzes how states are providing easy access to the electrical grid for locally generated renewable power and how they are enabling generators of this power to receive credit for the electricity they put back into the grid.

According to the study, the states as a whole receive a failing grade. While most states have statewide interconnection and net-metering policies, the nature of those policies is not conducive to encouraging or otherwise making it easier for would-be, small-scale renewable power generators to contribute to the drive for more environmentally friendly electricity. High fees and arbitrary standards discourage interconnection, for example. Limits on credit that can be earned also hurt the cause for net metering.