The IREC Team
IREC is known for identifying difficult renewable energy issues, then bringing together the right team of technical and policy experts to produce innovative solutions. Whether it’s education and outreach, stakeholder coordination, technical assistance, workforce development, the adoption and implementation of uniform guidelines and standards, or consumer protection, IREC’s team builds networks, shares experiences and produces exemplary materials through easy access information channels.
IREC has teamed up with the Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (DSIRE), the North Carolina Solar Center, and Keyes and Fox, LLC.
Kevin Fox
Kevin is a partner at the law firm Partner, Keyes & Fox, LLP which represents clients in state utility commission rulemakings related to renewable energy policy development and implementation, including work on net metering rules, interconnection standards, community solar programs, feed-in tariffs and incentive programs. Kevin has developed a highly specialized practice that focuses on assisting clients with achieving regulatory goals and objectives, in particular energy market transformation efforts that facilitate growth in distributed energy resources.
Patricia Fox
Patricia is an accomplished management leader with a proven track record in aligning an organization around a strategic vision to achieve results. For over 15 years, Ms. Fox has been leading national organizations which are regionally-based with a focus on quality, training, consistency in service delivery, and program development. In her most recent position as the Vice President of Operations for a division within GE Healthcare, she led the development of operations for a national service organization based in regional centers. Her success in this role included establishing forums for sharing best practices, developing multiple communication channels to advance program development, managing the operations, and building a community of diverse stakeholders. Ms. Fox is a graduate of the Environmental Technology Program (Photovoltaics, Solar Thermal, and Small Wind) at Cape Cod Community College.
Jason Keyes
Jason, partner at the law firm Keyes & Fox, LLP, focuses on regulatory matters related to interconnection of distributed generation, and has participated in interconnection and net metering rulemakings at the utility commissions of more than a dozen states. Jason is also active in broader renewable energy regulatory affairs and industry analysis as board member of the American Solar Energy Society. In his spare time, Jason has hiked more than 1,600 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail (Mexico-Canada)—final leg in 2020.
Keith McAllister
Keith is currently the Manger of the Distributed Generation Program at the North Carolina Solar Center (NCSC). Keith is also the Co-Director of the Southeast CHP Application Center which is a DOE regional application center for CHP projects in the southeastern United States. With more than 25 years experience in engineering design, project management, product development and construction, Keith has worked in the areas of electric power generation and delivery, data center infrastructure design and support, development and implementation of demand side management programs and construction projects. He worked as engineer in the Research and Development Section for a major southeast electric and gas utility. As a Professional Engineer, Keith has provided consulting services to established local engineering firms in the areas of plumbing, mechanical and electrical design for commercial buildings and structural design for residential buildings.
Richard Michaud
Dick Michaud spent more than 30 years working for the U.S. Department of Energy in the Northeast Regional Office. During that time, he administered the first cooperative agreements with the states that allowed them to hire staff for the fledgling state energy offices. He managed all of the major DOE grant programs as well as several national projects for the DOE and later took the lead on special projects to include the Million Solar Roofs and the Wind Powering America programs in order to establish them in the Region. He retired in June of 2006, just as DOE was closing the regional offices. Currently, Dick is managing the solar hot water training across the U.S. for code inspectors and building officials.
Jane Pulaski
Jane is responsible for the communication and outreach tasks for IREC which includes the activities of DOE’s Solar Outreach Initiative (formerly Solar America initiative) through the IREC website and the semi-monthly State & Stakeholder Newsletter. She supported IREC in the production the national Solar Means Safety educational campaign, the Neighborhood Power: Building Communities with Solar Energy Workshop-In-A-Box, and the Going Solar Model Education Kit (1999-2000). She also developed the Wind Energy: Powering Our Homes, Businesses and Communities Workshop-In-A-Box. From 1992-1999, as Program Manager for the Renewable Energy Program for SECO, Ms. Pulaski planned, implemented and monitored renewable energy projects in Texas.
Maureen Quinlan
Maureen has been a Clean Energy Specialist at the North Carolina Solar Center at NC State University since January 2008. Her work involves organizing educational workshops about the benefits of Combined Heat and Power (CHP) technology as well as publishing a Quarterly CHP newsletter. Maureen also works with the Interstate Renewable Energy Council to track and develop best practices for state net metering and interconnection policies. Maureen has a B.A. in Environmental Studies from UNC Chapel Hill, with a focus on environmental policy. She has worked for the North Carolina Coastal Reserve in Kitty Hawk, NC as well as the Clean Transportation Program at the Solar Center. In her spare time she enjoys running and nature photography.
Michael Sheehan P.E.
Michael is an Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) representative working on state level rule-making and workshops. In addition, he is the V.P. for Utility Development for MicroPlanet, Inc. MicroPlanet is an energy efficiency company that sells electronic voltage regulators for both domestic and international utilities. He has extensive electric utility industry experience, in particular in interconnections, distribution reliability, T&D Planning, efficiency, and optimization measures. He has worked for three utilities (Commonwealth Edison, Virginia Power and Puget Sound Energy). He was a member of the IEEE 1547 Standard for Interconnecting Distributed Resources with Electric Power Systems. At Puget Sound Energy he developed the System Operator training program and designed the qualifications test and certification procedures. He is a registered Professional Engineer in the state of Washington and a graduate of the Illinois Institute of Technology.
Larry Sherwood
Larry is President of Sherwood Associates, a renewable energy consulting firm. Larry has nearly 30 years of experience in the renewable energy field. He is Project Administrator for the Solar America Board for Codes and Standards, Executive Director of the Small Wind Certification Council, author of the IREC Report, U.S. Solar Market Trends 2007, and Editor of the IREC Small Wind Newsletter. Previously, Larry served as Executive Director of the American Solar Energy Society and Executive Director of the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association. He is a graduate of Dartmouth College and lives in Boulder, Colorado with his wife, Janet and daughter, Morgan.
Laurel Varnado
Laurel is a policy analyst for the Distributed Generation program at the Solar Center. Focusing on net metering and interconnection issues, Laurel currently publishes the Interstate Renewable Energy Council’s monthly Connecting to the Grid newsletter. Previously, Laurel spent three years as an eco-tourism extension agent in Senegal, West Africa, working to promote environmental and business management concepts at National Parks across Senegal. She holds a MA in Sustainable Development from the School for International Training and a BA in International Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Laurel was recently selected as a Southeast Regional Network fellow for the 2009 Environmental Leadership Program.
Dr. Jerry Ventre
Jerry is a consultant in photovoltaic systems engineering, specializing in workforce development, system design and product assurance. He received B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in aerospace engineering from the University of Cincinnati, and has over thirty-five years of experience in research, development, design and systems analysis. In addition to leading the photovoltaics and distributed power programs at the Florida Solar Energy Center for over 20 years, Dr. Ventre was the first international chair of the Institute for Sustainable Power Awards Committee, managed the development of the original NABCEP task analysis and study guide for PV system installation, and was recently appointed chair of a committee to review and improve the NABCEP PV entry level program. He has taught at both graduate and undergraduate levels, including PV systems, and has been heavily involved in workforce development. He has offered eight train-the-trainer workshops around the country, assisting faculty in course and program development. Dr. Ventre has been a recipient of a number of awards for contributions to engineering and engineering education. He has over 150 technical publications to his credit and is co-author with Roger Messenger of the highly regarded text entitled Photovoltaic Systems Engineering.
Joe Wiedman
Joe, partner at Keyes & Fox LLP, represents the firm’s clients before regulatory commissions nationwide with a particular focus on establishing state programs and policies that expand markets for distributed generation including net metering rules, interconnection procedures, and ownership of renewable energy systems by third-parties. Joe has worked on a broad range of matters including establishment and implementation of the California Solar Initiative, energy efficiency, greenhouse gas emissions regulation, and general rate cases, and transmission line siting and approval applications.
Jane Weissman
Jane is an independent consultant and has served as the Executive Director of the Interstate Renewable Energy Council since 1994. She manages all of IREC’s programs, projects and grants and contracts. Ms. Weissman started in the renewable energy field in 1985 as the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Photovoltaic Center. In 1991, she began working with the national solar industry and utilities in what was to become the PV-COMPACT. She has a solid background in developing deployment and outreach strategies. Ms. Weissman is the Vice Chair of the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners and was instrumental in launching this national certification program. Ms. Weissman has published papers and spoken widely on topics in the field of renewable energy, photovoltaics, credentialing and public policy. She has been invited by the Congress of the United States to provide expert testimony before the Subcommittee on Energy and Environment to discuss workforce development and training issues. Jane is based in Boston, and is an avid Red Sox fan.
The DSIRE Team
Justin Barnes
Justin is a policy analyst at the North Carolina Solar. He has worked at the N.C. Solar Center since 2007. His work includes researching state, local and utility incentives and policies for DSIRE, with a regional focus on the Northeast, South Central, Midwest, and Mid-Atlantic. He is the project coordinator for the DSIRE Quantitative Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) Dataset, a separate database maintained for the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) and Department of Energy (DOE) for use in their electricity modeling and forecasting analyses. Mr. Barnes also fields requests for information and technical assistance from the general public, government officials, media, and the energy industry on a wide range of subjects related to renewable energy incentives and markets. He also presents at various regional and national conferences on solar policy.
Susan Gouchoe
Susan is the Policy Program Manager for the North Carolina Solar Center at NC State University. Her work focuses on researching, analyzing and disseminating information about government and utility incentives and policies that promote renewable energy and energy efficiency. She has worked at the NC Solar Center since 2000, managing the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency project from 2001 to 2008. She develops policy information resources (including the DSIRE Solar Policy Guide), presents to national audiences on the status of renewable energy policies in the United States, serves on national solar conference committees, and works with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to develop renewable energy policy tools and resources. Ms. Gouchoe provides technical assistance to a variety of stakeholders on renewable energy policy issues, and under the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Million Solar Roofs Initiative (MSRI), she provided technical assistance on policy and financial analysis issues to state and local MSRI partners. Currently, Ms. Gouchoe is the Chair of the Policy, Advocacy & Marketing Committee for the ASES SOLAR 2010 conference and a contributing author to U.S. DOE’s Solar Vision Study’s chapter on solar policies, which will assess the current status of solar policy in the U.S. and outline steps necessary to meet a significant fraction of U.S. electricity demand with solar technologies by 2030.
Joseph R. (Rusty) Haynes
Joseph is the project manager for the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE) at the North Carolina Solar Center. He has worked at the N.C. Solar Center since 2001 and is a past editor of the Interstate Renewable Energy Council’s (IREC) Connecting to the Grid newsletter. Mr. Haynes frequently delivers presentations on renewable-energy policy at national and regional conferences. He provides technical assistance to federal, state and local government representatives and assists consumers, businesses, media representatives, advocacy groups, non-profit organizations and other stakeholders with understanding data and trends in renewable energy and energy efficiency policies. Mr. Haynes writes and edits national reports related to state-level renewable-energy policy issues. He presented and moderated at the 2008 Solar America Cities annual conference, and attended the 2009 Solar America Cities conference to coordinate with and learn from local government representatives. He has also met with representatives from the U.S. Department of Energy and other stakeholders to help develop strategies and priorities for the Solar America Cities program.
Amy Heinemann
Amy is a policy analyst for the North Carolina Solar Center. She has worked at the N.C. Solar Center since January 2009. Her work includes researching state, local and utility incentives and policies for DSIRE, with a regional focus on the Southeast, West, and Northwest. She is the project coordinator for the DSIRE Quantitative Incentives Dataset, a separate database maintained for the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) and Department of Energy (DOE) for use in financial modeling and analysis. Ms. Heinemann fields requests for information and provides technical assistance to the general public, government officials, media, and the energy industry on a wide range of topics related to renewable energy incentives and markets. She also presents at various regional conferences on solar policy and contributes to ongoing research and editing of DSIRE Solar Policy Guide.
