August 12, 2010

August 2010 Connecting to the Grid Newsletter

WHAT’S NEW AS OF AUGUST 2010? Note from the Editor The Solar Panel Next Door Sharing solar (or wind, or micro-hydro, etc…) is the hottest new trend in net metering.  It’s exciting to see so much progress within the last year alone, with more and more states jumping on the community renewables bandwagon.  This month…

WHAT’S NEW AS OF AUGUST 2010?

Note from the Editor

The Solar Panel Next Door

Sharing solar (or wind, or micro-hydro, etc…) is the hottest new trend in net metering.  It’s exciting to see so much progress within the last year alone, with more and more states jumping on the community renewables bandwagon.  This month Delaware added its name to the list with the enactment of SB 267. These policies present numerous advantages but perhaps most significantly, they expand benefits of renewable energy to a much larger pool of participants.  They also entail a lower cost of installation due to economies of scale and, with fewer constraints on system location, they can be sited more effectively to make better use of the resource. [Continued in Newsletter]

 

State News in Detail

Northeast States                       

Connecticut DPUC continuing meter aggregation work

New York PSC approves peak load provision for net metering, considers DG proposal for Massena          

Mid-Atlantic States       

Delaware enacts community net metering policy 

New Jersey removes 2MW cap for net metering; township asks the BPU for virtual net metering ability 

Midwestern States        

Indiana utility proposes an expansion of net metering and a FIT

Michigan PSC approves pilot electric vehicle rate for Detroit Edison

Missouri PSC seeks comments on geographic sourcing of renewables

Kansas KCC adopts net metering rules

Southern States                              

Texas universities launch innovative clean energy programs 

Western States                                               

Arizona’s Salt River Project plans to sell PV power to schools

CAISO proposes changes to large generator interconnection agreement

Idaho PUC approves system size cap change for Avista utilities  

Other States                     

Alaska enacts renewable energy goal

 

IREC News                                         

IREC releases 2009 Solar Market Trends Report 

 

Miscellaneous News    

FERC reaffirms its position on Feed-in Tariffs

NREL publishes Comprehensive Feed-in Tariff Guide for Policymakers

Utility energy storage test yields positive results

 

Upcoming Events        

Download the full newsletter as a PDF:  August 2010 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