June 2012 Connecting to the Grid Newsletter
WHAT’S NEW AS OF JUNE 2012? Note from the Editor Innovating our way to solar process efficiencies Innovation and efficiency are undoubtedly two of the founding tenets of the U.S. economy. As Henry Ford, one of the founding fathers of mass production, taught us, by reducing labor hours and increasing efficiency, we can innovate…
WHAT’S NEW AS OF JUNE 2012?
Note from the Editor
Innovating our way to solar process efficiencies
Innovation and efficiency are undoubtedly two of the founding tenets of the U.S. economy. As Henry Ford, one of the founding fathers of mass production, taught us, by reducing labor hours and increasing efficiency, we can innovate our way to lower costs and larger market shares. Just as Ford’s vision popularized the assembly line in the early 20th century, jurisdictions around the country are beginning to innovate their way toward safe and efficient solar approval processes.
Think of all of the administrative processes that can be required to install a solar PV system: local permitting and inspection; interconnection; net metering or power purchase agreement; and rebates or incentives. With multiple layers of inspections and applications all requiring similar information, this can begin to look more like an assembly line of different processes that need to be completed to reach the final product.
State News in Detail
Northeast States
Massachusetts DPU seeks clarification on net metering definitions
Vermont PSB extends streamlined process for small PV systems
Mid-Atlantic States
Maryland PSC convenes net metering working group to examine feasibility of community solar
Midwestern States
Minnesota begins to assess distributed generation status
Southern States
Texas PUC approves third-party ownership of distributed generation
Western States
Arizona consortium releases updated Solar Strategic Plan
California PUC resolves net metering cap, allows additional 2 GW of capacity
New Mexico co-op launches community solar program
Oregon Governor releases draft energy plan
Washington interconnection group provides update on key issues
Upcoming Events
Miscellaneous News
PJM region surpasses 1 GW of solar
Germany hits 50% solar capacity mark, at 22 GW
Download the full newsletter as a PDF: June 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
