City of Columbia - Renewable Portfolio Standard
Columbia Water & Light is required to source 30% of its electricity from renewable energy by 2028, which shapes the utility's long-term energy mix and may affect your rates. You can monitor how the utility progresses toward this goal through its annual renewable energy plans submitted to the city council, and you may request a free energy audit by calling 573.874.2489 to reduce your own consumption.
This is a municipal utility requirement, not a direct incentive program for renewable installations on customer sites. Contractors should be aware that Columbia Water & Light's renewable portfolio standard creates utility-level demand for renewable energy procurement, which may indirectly support market opportunities, but this ordinance does not offer rebates, tax credits, or direct incentives for rooftop solar, heat pumps, or other distributed generation.
Columbia Water & Light must achieve 2% renewable electricity by end of 2007, 5% by 2012, 15% by 2017, 25% by 2022, and 30% by 2028, with compliance constrained to rate increases of no more than 3%. The utility files an annual renewable energy plan by February 1 each year detailing procurement strategy and cost assumptions, reviewed by the Environment and Energy Commission and Water & Light Advisory Board before city council approval. Eligible resources include wind, solar, biomass, hydropower, geothermal, and landfill gas meeting city environmental criteria; as of 2024, the utility had achieved 22.82% renewable generation.
Program details
- Program ID
- 113
- Last updated
- 11/25/2025
Eligibility
- Sectors
- local government
- Technologies
- solar water heat solar space heat geothermal electric solar thermal electric solar thermal process heat solar photovoltaics wind (all) biomass hydroelectric landfill gas
Program summary
Note: According to the 2025 Renewable Energy Plan, in 2024, City of Columbus Utilities purchased or generated 22.82% of its total electric usage through renewable energy sources.
In November 2004, voters in Columbia, Missouri, approved* a proposal to adopt a local renewable portfolio standard (RPS). (The state renewable electricity standard adopted by ballot initiative in November 2008 does not apply to municipal utilities such as Columbia Water & Light.) The city's municipal utility Columbia Water & Light is required to generate or purchase 30% of its electricity from eligible renewable energy resources by the end of 2028. Nearly 7% of all energy sources for 2013 were renewable.
The goal was revised in 2014 to increase the 2017 goal to 15% from 10%, the 2022 goal from 15% to 25%, and to set a goal of 30% by December 31, 2028.
Eligible Technologies
Eligible renewable energy sources are “wind power, solar energy, bio-energy sources or other renewable sources which meet the environmental criteria approved by the city council after review by the environment and energy commission and the water and light advisory board,” including biomass, hydropower, geothermal power.
Requirements
The city is required to generate or purchase electricity generated from eligible renewable energy resources at the following levels:
- 2% by December 31, 2007;
- 5% by December 31, 2012;
- 15% by December 31, 2017;
- 25% by December 31, 2022; and
- 30% by December 31, 2028.
Compliance
By February 1 of each year, the Columbia Water & Light Department must issue a renewable energy plan, detailing a proposal for how the city intends to comply with the RPS ordinance during the following year. The plan explains the city's due diligence in pursuing renewable energy opportunities and detail all cost assumptions and related utility rate calculations, except with regard to confidential information that may be withheld pursuant to state law. It is then be reviewed by the Columbia Environment and Energy Commission and the Columbia Water & Light Advisory Board, and submitted to the Columbia City Council for approval following a public hearing.
Cost Mitigation Measures
The standard will be met to the extent possible without increasing electric rates by more than 3% as a result of the standard. (Columbia Water & Light spent only 42.8% of its cost limit in 2015, and exceeded the 5% renewable goal by generating 6.82% of electricity from renewable sources.)
* The RPS was approved by 78% of voters, with no organized opposition.
Contact & resources
- Contact email
- RJH@GoColumbiaMO.com
- Additional resources
Please verify current program details with the administering agency before making any financial decisions.
