Renewable energy is becoming quite popular despite costs and intermittency issues, with 14 states adopting CLEAN (Clean Local Energy Accessible Now) programs. The CLEAN programs can significantly increase the deployment of local solar power, according to research from the Institute for Local Self Reliance (ILSR).

In the last five years alone, solar power capacity has grown to 1.21 GW. This distributed solar power under CLEAN represents one of the largest expansions of solar in the country, encompassing rooftop and commercial-scale solar projects.

"The rise of CLEAN programs is the answer to the question of capturing the economic benefits of clean energy development," said ILSR Senior Researcher and author of the report John Farrell.  "States and municipal utilities have created CLEAN programs to enable their citizens to become local energy and jobs producers."

According to the research, the biggest lesson here is that state and local CLEAN programs have begun to "bring order to otherwise fragmented energy policy in the U.S."

"This local energy policy is getting us to a better future," said Farrell. "CLEAN is simple and comprehensive, unlike the hodge-podge of federal, state, and utility renewable energy incentives," says Farrell.

For more:
- see the report