Last month, IREC joined Fresh Energy and the Environmental Law & Policy Center to file a joint motion with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission, which includes a proposal that would help the state implement interconnection changes based on a compilation of best practices and lessons learned from other states.
distributed generation 
Building on a strong foundation, the critical need for updated interconnection policies
Say you’re thinking about adding another story onto an old house. You probably wouldn’t want to start building without first having a structural engineer make some calculations to ensure the house could support the addition. Now keep that image in mind as you consider interconnection policy as one of the main load-bearing walls in our solar market “house.” If not properly designed to match the growing market conditions, state interconnection policies may cause the house to come crashing down…or at least cause some major cracks to form.
Landmark Report Released by IREC: Easing the Transition to a More Distributed Electricity System
Multiple compounding factors are driving national movement toward a more modern electricity grid, one that enables a cleaner energy future. A thought-leading report released today by the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) offers a unique look at easing that transition, and offers five insightful approaches for state utility regulators who, ultimately, will facilitate this transition through the rules and regulations that govern the electricity system and electric utilities.
Moving Forward: regulatory trends shaping a clean energy nation
Along with the season’s time-honored traditions, comes time to pause and reflect on the past year and year to come. Here’s a closer look at what we can expect to play out in the national regulatory arena next year. It’s definitely shaping up to be an energetic year.
The IREC Small Wind Interview: Heather Rhoads-Weaver of eFormative Options
Heather Rhoads-Weaver is Principal Consultant and Founder of eFormative Options with a long career in distributed wind, mostly in policy. Heather talks with IREC about the industry–where it’s been and where it’s headed.
Tagged with: distributed generation, Distributed Wind, DWEA, Interview, Renewable Energy, Small Wind, Wind
DWEA Launches Consensus-Based SMART Wind Consortium
More than 50 industry, academic, and government representatives from 25 states plus Washington, DC, and Canada joined to work together in a new way to inaugurate the Sustainable Manufacturing Advanced Research and Technology (SMART) Wind Consortium on October 16 in…
Tagged with: distributed generation, Distributed Wind, DWEA, Renewable Energy, Small Wind, SMART, Wind
Report Describes State of the Distributed Wind Market
In August of 2014, DOE released a report summarizing the current state of the distributed wind market in the U.S. The 2013 Distributed Wind Market Report’s purpose is to help plan and guide future investments and decisions by industry, utilities, state and federal agencies, and others.
Tagged with: certification, distributed generation, Distributed Wind, DOE, Renewable Energy, Small Wind, Wind
Regional Transmission Operator Ordered to Comply with Changes to Federal Interconnection Procedures Designed to Accommodate Growing Penetrations of Distributed Generation
Having played an integral role in the development of the SGIP, IREC remains keenly interested in its adoption and implementation as an effective tool to streamline the integration of renewable energy and energy storage. IREC was pleased to find that most Transmission Providers stuck to the spirit of the rule and did not seek substantial changes in their compliance filings.
The IREC Interview: Tal Mamo of United Wind
Tal Mamo is co-founder of United Wind, where he is responsible for the development of new markets. Tal has served on the Board of Directors of the Distributed Wind Energy Association (DWEA) since 2011. He also serves on the Board…
DOE Establishes Wind Regional Resource Centers
On March 11, 2014, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced six Wind Energy Regional Resource Centers, selected through a competitive process administered by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Northeast Wind Resource Center, operated by the Clean Energy Group…
