January 2013 Connecting to the Grid Newsletter
WHAT’S NEW AS OF JANUARY 2013? Note from the Editor 2012: The Year Solar Turned the Corner? I think we can proclaim that 2012 was the year we turned the corner and caught a glimpse of what high-penetration solar looks like. Defined from an engineering perspective, a circuit has reached “high penetration” when utility…
WHAT’S NEW AS OF JANUARY 2013?
Note from the Editor
2012: The Year Solar Turned the Corner?
I think we can proclaim that 2012 was the year we turned the corner and caught a glimpse of what high-penetration solar looks like. Defined from an engineering perspective, a circuit has reached “high penetration” when utility engineers determine that upgrades need to be made to the circuit before additional generation can be installed.
If we look closely at the policy actions that were taken last year, we can see solar leaders focusing less on incentives and more on technical and procedural issues to accommodate higher levels of growth. And it’s no surprise why. Total distributed solar installations, not counting big utility projects connecting to transmission lines, have nearly quadrupled in just the past three years, climbing from 1143 MW in 2009 to roughly 4300 MW in 2012. Here’s a quick recap of some of 2012’s trends.
State News in Detail
Northeast States
Massachusetts DPU begins work on grid modernization
Mid-Atlantic States
MADRI takes a fresh look at distributed generation policies
Midwestern States
Minnesota co-op embarks on crowd-funded solar project
Southern States
DOE and TVA work to develop clean power transmission line
Western States
Arizona utility-commissioned study finds net metering a negative impact for ratepayers
California incentive celebrates 1 GW milestone; Los Angeles approves Feed-in Tariff
Idaho regulators restrict availability to solar and wind projects
Washington UTC continues to work on interconnection, third-party issues
Other States
Hawaii PUC and FERC form info-sharing partnership around renewable energy data
Upcoming Events
Miscellaneous News
NREL releases interconnection reform report
Wind and Solar Power Paired With Storage Could Power Grid 99.9 Percent of the Time
IREC Announces New Training Program Certificate Standard
Download the full newsletter as a PDF: January 2013 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 Passera
