Retail, Tech Industry Report Recommends States Introduce Retail Choice; Though Iowa Named Top State
January 11,2017
The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) and the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) released a report ranking states based on the ease of which corporate buyers can procure domestic renewable energy such as solar and wind for their operations.
The report concludes that, "The availability of retail choice is a critical factor for a state’s attractiveness to corporate and other large institutional buyers of RE [renewable energy]. States that wish to gain the job creation and economic development benefits of corporate RE-powered facilities should encourage their policymakers and regulators to enable customer choice."
While states that offer full or capped retail choice dominate the group's rankings (taking 14 of the top 15 spots), the group's conclusion is challenged by the ranking of Iowa as the top state, overall, for corporate renewable energy procurement, ostensibly due to discrete renewable energy deals large buyers such as Google and Facebook have been able to strike with the monopoly utility