Delaware and low-cost energy technologies
Delaware, the second smallest state in the U.S., is making significant strides in the realm of low-cost energy technologies while prioritizing environmental sustainability. Known for its robust chemical industry, Delaware is actively working to lower energy costs and enhance the availability of renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar. The state has implemented legislative measures to ensure that at least 40 percent of the electricity sold by 2035 comes from renewable sources, reflecting its commitment to a greener energy future.
Although Delaware has limited hydropower potential, it has focused on developing offshore wind initiatives and solar facilities, including the Dover SUN Park. However, as of 2022, only about 10 percent of the state’s energy was derived from renewable sources, with natural gas accounting for the majority of energy generation. Recent legislative actions, like the Delaware Energy Solutions Act of 2024, aim to further transition to carbon-free energy systems and establish a more comprehensive framework for offshore wind projects. With ongoing research and partnerships in energy innovation, Delaware continues to position itself as a key player in advancing low-cost and sustainable energy technologies.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Delaware and low-cost energy technologies
Summary: Delaware is a leader in advancing low-cost energy technologies and promoting forms of energy that protect the environment.
Covering an area of only 2,489 square miles, Delaware is the second smallest state within the United States. Despite its size, Delaware has established itself as a significant industrial area, leading the nation in the production of chemicals and in the number of businesses headquartered within its borders. Delaware has also taken a position of leadership within the field of energy, working to develop technologies that lower energy costs, particularly in low-cost homes, and involving itself in the manufacture and sale of biodiesel fuels. The state legislature has passed energy reforms that stipulate that Delmarva Power, the state’s leading electrical service supplier, must provide its customers with electricity that remains stable in cost and efficiency.
Under Delaware's Renewable Energy Portfolio Standards, set in 2005, at least 40 percent of all electricity sold in the state must come from renewable sources such as wind and solar by 2035. Industry in the state is dominated by chemical production and petroleum refining, and industry consumes the lion’s share of energy in the state. Petroleum products are distributed to regional markets by the Delaware City petroleum refinery. The Delaware, Mispillion, and Nanticoke Rivers flow through Delaware, but the state has no major lakes. There has been little effort to develop hydropower in Delaware; however, wind and solar energy as alternatives to fossil fuels are being pursued.
In the fall of 2010, Delaware became a beneficiary of a partnership between the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Energy designed to improve breeding programs by producing more effective plants for bioenergy use. The University of Delaware in Newark received $868,794 in grant money for this project. The following February, as part of the Smart from the Start program (which aims eventually to produce 80 percent of all energy used in the United States from clean energy sources), Secretary of Energy and Secretary of the Interior jointly announced plans for major offshore wind initiatives in the Mid-Atlantic area. The impact on Delaware involved building a wind farm on the outer continental shelf 122 square nautical miles offshore. Delaware contracted with Bluewater to erect a 450-megawatt wind farm that had the potential to provide renewable energy to 100,000 residents; however, a lack of funding contributed to its cancellation in 2011. Another developer was awarded the license and began planning a 680-megawatt offshore wind farm near Rehoboth Beach. Research on offshore wind technologies continues through the efforts of the University of Delaware and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and as of 2024, one onshore 2-megawatt turbine was sited at the University of Delaware. In 2011, the state also built the 10-megawatt Dover SUN Park facility to produce solar energy. A Thai company purchased a 34-megawatt General Electric solar manufacturing facility that had been slated for closure, allowing it to continue operations. Three landfill gas power plants together offer another 12 megawatts of generating capacity.
Despite these advancements, however, only about 10 percent of Delaware's energy came from renewable sources in 2022. About 87 percent of the state's energy generation was natural gas, which was up from 51 percent in 2010. About 44 percent of households in Delaware relied on natural gas for heat, 35 percent relied on electricity, 10 percent on propane, and 9 percent on oil or kerosene. The state's industrial sector consumed most of its natural gas (37 percent).
In 2024, Delaware passed Senate Bill 265, also known as the Delaware Energy Solutions Act. The act paved the way for the creation of a detailed framework for an offshore wind project. The act planned to aid in the development of infrastructure to transition to carbon-free energy sources.
Bibliography
Barnes, Roland V., ed. Energy Crisis in America? Huntington, NY: Nova Science, 2001.
Bird, Lori, et al. Green Power Marketing in the United States: A Status Report. Golden, CO: National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 2008.
"Delaware State Energy Profile." US Energy Information Administration, 18 Jan. 2024, www.eia.gov/state/print.php?sid=DE. Accessed 31 July 2024.
"Houses Passes Delaware Energy Solutions Act of 2024." Delaware House Democrats, 30 June 2024, housedems.delaware.gov/2024/06/30/house-passes-delaware-energy-solutions-act-of-2024/. Accessed 31 July 2024.
"Renewable Energy Portfolio Standards." Delaware.gov, Division of Climate, Coastal, and Energy, Dept. of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, State of Delaware, 10 Feb. 2021, dnrec.alpha.delaware.gov/climate-coastal-energy/renewable/portfolio-standards. Accessed 31 July 2024.