Over the past decade, IREC has worked with dozens of states across the country to facilitate and support the adoption of fundamental regulatory policy reforms that maintain the safety and reliability of the electric grid, while also allowing for fair, affordable and efficient consumer access to renewable energy.
best practices 
Solar Instructor Community of Practice: A New Interactive Model
How can solar instructors openly share best practices and engage in ongoing conversations aimed at making solar training and instruction the best it can be? Tim Wilhelm, professor and program coordinator Electrical Technology, Renewable Energy Program at Kankakee Community College (KCC), proposed the concept to the National Science Foundation, resulting in an NSF grant to develop the solar instructor of community practice.
Two Steps Forward, One Step Back for North Carolina Solar
On May 15th, the North Carolina Utilities Commission issued a long-awaited order adopting revisions to the state’s interconnection standards. The commission’s decision is interesting in a number of respects for both how it follows and how it bucks national trends in interconnection best practice development.
Report: Trends Shaping our Clean Energy Future Released by IREC
The release of Trends Shaping our Clean Energy Future, an annual report by IREC, presents information and an independent perspective on the year’s renewable energy and energy efficiency progress and challenges across the U.S., and the activities, research, publications, expert insight and recommendations that are helping shape our clean energy future.
Tagged with: best practices, clean energy future, code officials, FERC, interconnection, regulatory, SGIP, SITN, workforce development
LBNL Report Compares PV Costs and Deployment Drivers in Japanese, U.S. Residential and Commercial Markets
Source: Lawrence Berkeley National Lab EETD’s Electricity Markets and Policy Group announces a new joint Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and National Renewable Energy Laboratory report, “Comparing Photovoltaic (PV) Costs and Deployment Drivers in the Japanese and U.S. Residential and Commercial…
An Array Of Policies Makes New Jersey An Unlikely Leader In Solar Energy
Source: Solar Industry Magazine The State of New Jersey is known for many things. It has the most diners, the longest boardwalk and the tallest water tower in the world. New Jersey also ranks second in blueberry production, as well as…
Tagged with: best practices, Freeing the Grid, interconnection, interconnection policies, net metering, net metering fee, RPS, SRECs
NREL Examines Solar Policy Pathways for States
Source: NREL Newsroom The Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has published a report that aligns solar policy and market success with stage demographics. By organizing the 48 contiguous states into four peer groups based on shared non-policy characteristics, the…
Tagged with: best practices, distributed solar, interconnection, net metering, NREL, Renewable Energy
Simplifying the Solar Permitting Process: The Importance of Consistency
Many municipalities and other authorities having jurisdiction (AHJs) are facing dramatic increases in rooftop solar permit applications. With this trend expected to continue and spread, streamlining building and electrical permitting processes will become increasingly important to more AHJs. To facilitate…
