April 2011 Connecting to the Grid Newsletter
WHAT’S NEW AS OF APRIL 2011? Note from the Editor A doctor, a lawyer and an engineer walk into a bar… Chances are pretty good that only the lawyer can correctly explain indemnification. It’s a good thing that renewable energy lawyers really understand it too, since indemnification provides an important consumer protection when it…
WHAT’S NEW AS OF APRIL 2011?
Note from the Editor
A doctor, a lawyer and an engineer walk into a bar…
Chances are pretty good that only the lawyer can correctly explain indemnification. It’s a good thing that renewable energy lawyers really understand it too, since indemnification provides an important consumer protection when it comes to grid interconnection.
In its purest form, indemnity is a means of shifting the ultimate responsibility for payment to the party who caused the injury. This means that if one party to a contract is sued, and not at fault, the other party must pay to defend the lawsuit and also (potentially) any settlement rendered against the other party. Not all states address this issue in their interconnection rules and some even allow the utility to require that customers must indemnify the utility but not vice versa (i.e., unilateral indemnification). Washington State’s interconnection procedures, for example, allow utilities to require unilateral indemnification for systems up to 300 kW that are ineligible for net metering. [Continued in Newsletter]
State News in Detail
Northeast States
Massachusetts DOER seeks feedback from DG customers; DPU allows for revision of net metering straw proposals
New Hampshire PUC proposes rules to expand net metering
Mid-Atlantic States
D.C. PSC asking for feedback on readability of utility bills
Virginia increases residential net metering limit
Midwestern States
Minnesota sees a sharp rise in PV installations
Southern States
Knoxville, TN city government attempts alternative PV financing method
El Paso, TX municipal utility works with city to allow net metering
Western States
Tucson, AZ utility plans to lease school rooftop space for PV
Colorado’s Xcel Energy and solar industry reach an agreement on solar rebates
Idaho PUC denies request to reverse a wind and solar decision
Other States
Hawaii study shows grid could incorporate 25% renewables
Upcoming Events
Miscellaneous News
NREL seeking new (solar) purpose for EV batteries
More wholesalers marketing solar products directly to consumers
South Africa clears a path for distributed generation
USDA survey shows an increase in farm-based renewables
Download the full newsletter as a PDF: April 2011 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) and the North Carolina Solar Center at North Carolina State University. Click here to subscribe.
Editor: Laurel Varnado
NC Solar Center, NC State University
