The article analyzes the current state of legal regulation of alternative energy in the Russian Federation. The country's population requires to be provided with legal, institutional and economic conditions for the acquisition and consumption of energy sources of adequate quality in an amount that would be sufficient to meet their vital needs. A framework, i.e. a legal act regulating the foundations of the development and functioning of alternative energy enterprises, is necessary for the legal regulation of alternative energy. Such an act would bring the country's alternative energy from the declarative level to the practical development stage and would stimulate investments in the industry.