October 2013 Connecting to the Grid Newsletter
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.
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.
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
