Maryland Public Utility Companies Section 7-703

      (a)      (1)      (i)      The Commission shall implement a renewable energy portfolio standard that, except as provided under paragraph (2) of this subsection, applies to all retail electricity sales in the State by electricity suppliers.

                  (ii)      If the standard becomes applicable to electricity sold to a customer after the start of a calendar year, the standard does not apply to electricity sold to the customer during that portion of the year before the standard became applicable.

            (2)      A renewable energy portfolio standard may not apply to electricity sales at retail by any electricity supplier:

                  (i)      in excess of 300,000,000 kilowatt-hours of industrial process load to a single customer in a year;

                  (ii)      to residential customers in a region of the State in which electricity prices for residential customers are subject to a freeze or cap contained in a settlement agreement entered into under § 7-505 of this title until the freeze or cap has expired; or

                  (iii)      to a customer served by an electric cooperative under an electricity supplier purchase agreement that existed on October 1, 2004, until the expiration of the agreement.

      (b)      The renewable energy portfolio standard shall be as follows:

            (1)      in 2006, 1% from Tier 1 renewable sources and 2.5% from Tier 2 renewable sources;

            (2)      in 2007, 1% from Tier 1 renewable sources and 2.5% from Tier 2 renewable sources;

            (3)      in 2008, 2% from Tier 1 renewable sources and 2.5% from Tier 2 renewable sources;

            (4)      in 2009, 2% from Tier 1 renewable sources and 2.5% from Tier 2 renewable sources;

            (5)      in 2010, 3% from Tier 1 renewable sources and 2.5% from Tier 2 renewable sources;

            (6)      in 2011, 3% from Tier 1 renewable sources and 2.5% from Tier 2 renewable sources;

            (7)      in 2012, 4% from Tier 1 renewable sources and 2.5% from Tier 2 renewable sources;

            (8)      in 2013, 4% from Tier 1 renewable sources and 2.5% from Tier 2 renewable sources;

            (9)      in 2014, 5% from Tier 1 renewable sources and 2.5% from Tier 2 renewable sources;

            (10)      in 2015, 5% from Tier 1 renewable sources and 2.5% from Tier 2 renewable sources;

            (11)      in 2016, 6% from Tier 1 renewable sources and 2.5% from Tier 2 renewable sources;

            (12)      in 2017, 6% from Tier 1 renewable sources and 2.5% from Tier 2 renewable sources;

            (13)      in 2018, 7% from Tier 1 renewable sources and 2.5% from Tier 2 renewable sources; and

            (14)      in 2019 and later, 7.5% from Tier 1 renewable sources and 0% from Tier 2 renewable sources.

      (c)      Before calculating the number of credits required to meet the percentages established under subsection (b) of this section, an electricity supplier shall exclude from its total retail electricity sales all retail electricity sales described in subsection (a)(2) of this section.

      (d)      Subject to subsections (a) and (c) of this section, an electricity supplier shall meet the renewable energy portfolio standard by accumulating the equivalent amount of renewable energy credits that equal the percentage required under this section.