October 2013 Connecting to the Grid Newsletter

WHAT’S NEW AS OF OCTOBER 2013?

Note from the Editor

Distributed Solar Math 1o1

In almost every math class I ever took, the teacher always stressed the importance of defining the variables of the problem.  “Without knowing what your variables are, how do you know what problem to solve?” This would be an important lesson for the current trend to value the net impact of distributed solar generation in the U.S.

With the exponential growth we’ve seen in the market, the price of solar is dropping, leading to a significantly larger percentage of solar generating capacity on the grid.  As a result there are numerous discussions and regulatory proceedings happening around the country to determine the value that distributed solar brings to the table and whether current policies and regulations could benefit from an update.  These discussions are taking place through cost/benefit studies of net energy metering (NEM) and through the development of value of solar tariffs (VOST). Check out this map I created to show recent state and utility activities around the country to consider the value of distributed solar.

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State News in Detail

Northeast States        

Massachusetts finalizes solar carve out rules

Vermont co-op seeks to resume net metering

Mid-Atlantic States    

D.C. Council approves virtual net metering for the city

Midwestern States      

Michigan PSC seeks comments on renewable energy report

Minnesota’s Xcel Energy community solar plan revealed

Southern States          

Georgia Power petitions for new fee for solar customers

Western States          

Arizona Commission strikes down two utility net metering proposals

California enacts two important solar bills

Other States                     

Alaska RCA to rethink small power producer rules in 2014

Upcoming Events

IREC News

Overlap in PV Solar Approval Processes Can Be Reduced

Miscellaneous News

NREL Releases New Roadmap to Reducing Solar PV “Soft Costs” by 2020

Download the full newsletter as a PDF:  October 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

Laurel Passera

Laurel is a Senior Renewables Analyst for IREC attorneys Keyes, Fox & Wiedman, and engages in research and analysis of net metering and interconnection regulatory trends to support IREC’s outreach and communication efforts. In 2009, Laurel was a Southeast Regional Network fellow for the Southeast Environmental Leadership Program and currently sits on Raleigh City Council’s Environmental Advisory Board.