Ohio Senate Bill 294 Renewable Energy Regulation

under consideration

Ohio Senate Bill 294 is a legislative bill passed by the Ohio Senate that aims to expand preferences for natural gas and nuclear generation while imposing stricter requirements on utility-scale solar and wind projects. The bill mandates that any "reliable energy source" have a site-combined minimum capacity factor of 50%, which could hinder many solar and wind projects due to their lower average capacity factors. The bill also requires power to be dispatchable at all times of high usage and times of need, potentially increasing costs for renewable projects that need to add battery storage to meet these criteria. The bill is currently in the Ohio House for consideration.