September Connecting to the Grid Newsletter
Solar permitting is but one small, easily overlooked piece of the solar installation process. However, because we have upwards of 25,000 local jurisdictions in the country, there are staggering possibilities for variations of local permitting procedures. To address these challenges, many local jurisdictions around the country have been leading the way to find innovative, collective solutions to streamline solar permitting in a safe and effective way.
WHAT’S NEW AS OF SEPTEMBER 2013?
Note from the Editor
How to initiate solar permitting reform in four easy steps
Solar permitting is but one small, easily overlooked piece of the solar installation process. However, because we have upwards of 25,000 local jurisdictions in the country, there are staggering possibilities for variations of local permitting procedures. This means that permitting costs and filing requirements often vary widely from one jurisdiction to the next, which inevitably drives up costs for solar and creates unintentional barriers to market growth.
To address these challenges, many local jurisdictions around the country have been leading the way to find innovative, collective solutions to streamline solar permitting in a safe and effective way. In fact, we have highlighted some of their efforts in a 2012 Report titled Sharing Success: Emerging Approaches to Efficient Rooftop Solar Permitting. Nevertheless, there is still so much more to do. If your jurisdiction has not already done so, now is a perfect time to reduce inefficiencies in the solar permitting process.
State News in Detail
Northeast States
Maine PUC rules on Professional Engineer requirements for interconnection
Mid-Atlantic States
West Virginia PSC reviews rules for participation in RPS
Midwestern States
Michigan city rules in favor of shared solar; PSC notes rise in net metering customers
Minnesota’s Department of Commerce prepares for value of solar tariff meetings
Southern States
Louisiana PSC steps in to extend net metering availability for certain customers
TVA kicks off community solar initiative
Western States
Colorado PUC considers Xcel net metering proposal to cut rates
Other States
Hawaiian Electric charts new path for grid integration of solar; increases threshold of solar capacity on the grid
Upcoming Events
Miscellaneous News
NREL Study Suggests Cost Gap for Western Renewables Could Narrow by 2025
Download the full newsletter as a PDF: September 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
