January 2012 Connecting to the Grid Newsletter
WHAT’S NEW AS OF JANUARY 2012? Note from the Editor This month, I took time out to reflect on 2011’s Policyland roller coaster, to celebrate the novel advancements and lament the setbacks. Let’s start with the good news (and luckily, there were plenty of candidates). I found the following regulatory snapshots to be particularly…
WHAT’S NEW AS OF JANUARY 2012?
Note from the Editor
This month, I took time out to reflect on 2011’s Policyland roller coaster, to celebrate the novel advancements and lament the setbacks. Let’s start with the good news (and luckily, there were plenty of candidates). I found the following regulatory snapshots to be particularly ground-breaking:
1) Hawaii Interconnection
On November 29, 2011, the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission issued an order that significantly improved Hawaii’s interconnection procedures, known as Rule 14H. In addition to other improvements, a unique supplemental review process was incorporated into Rule 14H to allow a generator to avoid more intensive study if the “aggregate capacity per Line Section is below 50% of the Line Section minimum kW load during the period when the proposed generation is available.” Then, in December, the Hawaii PUC issued another favorable decision that broke further ground in several burgeoning interconnection issues.
Why this matters: Hawaii has proven its place among the leaders of clean energy policy in the country. This shift away from a hard 15% (of line section peak load) interconnection screen, in favor of a more flexible 50% of minimum load screen has already begun to pique the interest of other states that are experiencing high solar adoption rates. In other words, this development can allow more solar to safely connect to the grid, in more places.
State News in Detail
Northeast States
Massachusetts publishes solar ACP rate schedule
New York makes minor updates to the state’s interconnection requirements
Vermont plans an aggressive renewable energy goal
Mid-Atlantic States
Maryland municipality exploring net metering options
New Jersey lauds solar programs and accomplishments
Midwestern States
Michigan PSC approves renewable energy plan for Detroit Edison
Wisconsin improves net metering for Xcel customers
Southern States
Florida municipality okays net metering and interconnection rules
Western States
California makes headway in interconnection reform
Other States
Hawaii renders final interconnection decisions
Upcoming Events
Miscellaneous News
NREL launches geospatial mapping tool for renewable energy
Download the full newsletter as a PDF: January 2012 Connecting to the Grid Newsletter
FORMAT
While customer-sited net metering and interconnection policies are primarily addressed at the state level, they are also becoming important on a regional basis. This newsletter has been designed to provide state-level policy updates and capture emerging regional trends. Connecting to the Grid is a free, electronic newsletter published each month by the Interstate Renewable Energy Council, Inc. (IREC). Click here to subscribe.
Editor: Laurel Varnado
