In 2005 former Gov. Jim Douglas enacted the Sustainably-Priced Energy Enterprise Development (SPEED) Program, which was designed to spur renewable energy use through long-term contracts. If the SPEED goals are not being met, the Vermont Public Service Board (PSB) can establish an involuntary renewable energy mandate.
Qualifying sources include hydropower with no more than 200 megawatts (MW) capacity, methane (from landfill gas, anaerobic digesters, sewage-treatment facilities and farms); geothermal, solar, and wind.
In 2008 new legislation established a goal that 20 percent of retail electricity sales come from renewable sources by 2017. The legislation also included a separate target of producing 25 percent of the energy consumed in Vermont from renewables by 2025.
Source: Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency