By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

Utility Dive (UD) had an interesting piece on the recent Department of Energy (DoE) grants that are aimed at finding longer-duration batteries, which are important as more renewables join the grid. Right now, according to UD, lithium ion batteries don't provide enough storage capacity (typically four hours) to really be a sufficient for the widespread battery storage that is necessary as renewables increase their penetration throughout the country. As they should, the DoE is now investing government funds in research-and-development (R&D) to find alternatives. UD reports:

Last month, the DOE's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) awarded just over $28 million to 10 projects that aim to push the limits of energy storage duration. ARPA-E's Duration Addition to electricitY Storage (DAYS) program aims to push the duration of energy storage systems out to 100 hours. One hundred hours, just a little more than four days, is an exponential leap from current durations but the role of ARPA-E is to focus on early stage technologies that are not yet commercial or quite ready for the private sector. "Wind and solar will clearly be the cheapest forms of electric energy in the future," Paul Albertus, the director of the DAYS program, told Utility Dive. So, "it is pretty clear that over the next 10 years or so" the need for longer duration energy storage is going to grow, he said.

What's most interesting, however, is a point made later in the article about the grid. People tend to forget that until battery storage catches up, the grid is still the "storage device" of choice for most renewable energy users. As Alex Eller, senior research analyst at Navigant Research, told Utility Dive:

"It comes back to the fact that grid is built on plants that can run forever, given enough fuel. Until they are not there anymore, that is your long term storage," Eller said.

More: DOE energy storage grants look to the day when renewables rule the grid

NJ Utilities Commission. There are a lot of solar and storage topics on the docket in NJ. Recently the community solar rules for the pilot program came out. Coming up are the rules for the replacement to the SREC program and of course the studies on the energy storage implementation. That’s just on the solar front, there are topics regarding PSE&G’s proposals plus the offshore wind vision for New Jersey. This is a long way to say that the discussion with NJ BPU President Fiordaliso will be great. I look forward to getting the point of view from him about the clean energy future. 
Solar Jobs Survey. The annual survey to count the solar jobs, it’s a big number, is available to be filled out. Make sure to take your time and pass it along to your human resource department so that we can get an accurate count. The link to the survey is in the post below. 
Watch FERC. Montana may not be the hotbed for PURPA contracts but when it comes to FERC ruling on solar and storage with PURPA, this may be ground zero. PURPA has arguably been the best policy written decades ago with no assumption that it would help solar. Nonetheless it has been used in States across the Country to lower the cost of electricity for consumers and help utilities add a lot of solar with little friction. 
SEIA Install White Paper. I see a lot of solar installations and most of them are well done. Of course that is a function of my work at Quick Mount PV but I also have seen some terrible installations that great installers have to fix for homeowners. Solar does have a small subset of ‘get rich quick’ installers. These are folks that could care less about the industry and are simply trying to cut corners and take money from homeowners. Our job as an industry is to make sure that competition elevates quality and does not race the quality to the bottom dollar. SEIA’s white paper on best practices for installations is a great start. It highlights the documentation that each party in the process should provide to the homeowner and it complements the education of homeowners and code officials. Send me more of your great pictures and solar wall of shame contestants, we need to highlight the good and bad!
Sentiment Survey. Don’t forget to take the SolarWakeup Solar Market Sentiment Survey. 30 seconds from start to finish and results will be released at solarwakeuplive.com

Have a great day!

News

 

Have a great day!
Yann

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

I know it seems like we just did this, but that's because as you get older, time speeds up exponentially. So when you receive your notification from The Solar Foundation that it's time to fill out their National Jobs Survey again, don't think it's a mistake; it really is that time of year again. It should be obvious, but every year I hear people ask why they should fill it out. How does it help them? To which I say, are you crazy? It's a 15-minute survey, but the effects of it are felt throughout the entire year. A good showing in the Jobs Census means positive coverage of the solar industry for at least a month after the survey comes out. Then there's all the follow-up coverage that cite the statistics gleaned from the survey. Then there's the fact that the industry continues to show its strength as an economic driver, which translates into real political power. After all, where else can you find the number of solar workers in states down the Congressional district? Nowhere else, that's where. The most ridiculous argument I've heard people use for not filling out the survey is that it takes too much time. Really? You can't find 15 minutes in your day to answer a series of questions that ultimately will show your strength and the strength of your industry to the public at large? This. Is. Important. It's completely worth your time and effort. As a matter of public record, I fill out the survey every year for my own company, Narrative Solutions. Why? Because the majority of my clients are in the solar industry. So my firm, though it is not exclusively a solar firm, is part of the solar industry. I have a vested interest in seeing all of you succeed. And if my one job adds to the incredible numbers the rest of you put up, well, then so much the better. Filling out the National Job Survey from The Solar Foundation is your obligation to yourself and to the industry you serve. Take the 15 minutes necessary to fill it out - let's defy expectations and tell the general public that despite attempts to shut us down (with tariffs), we are a growing, thriving and exciting industry of which to be a part. You can start your survey here - and thank you for your service.

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

Yesterday, I sung the praises of Vote Solar as an organization that does the work behind the scenes to make your job possible. I listed several of their recent efforts and asked you to support their Equinox fundraiser on October 18. Then I sat down at my computer this morning and found an article in NJ Spotlight by - you guessed it - Vote Solar (and our friends at GRID Alternatives) fighting for low-income solar (As a writer, I must also say I'm always impressed when I see a Vote Solar piece because they are not only poignant and on point, but they're also so well written. So kudos to the team there for knowing how to construct a good piece of writing.) The article comes on the heels of New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signing into law plans for a community solar pilot which, as the piec e points out, is good on so many levels. It should bring at least $5 billion in new investment to the state and create jobs in a state that already has a thriving solar industry. But with the planned sunset of the solar Renewable Energy Credit (SREC) program, it would be easy to forget about low-income communities when it comes to community solar projects - and Vote Solar and GRID Alternatives want to make sure they continue to be part of the discussion. As usual, Vote Solar doesn't just talk about making a difference; they have a plant to do what they're suggesting. As the article states:

While the proposed rules include strong targets for LMI participation, we will continue to advocate for financial incentives to support projects for low-income communities. This is especially important given the sunset of the New Jersey Solar Renewable Energy Credit program. Any SREC successor should also include targeted support for low-income projects, as states like Massachusetts have implemented.

This is more evidence that Vote Solar is one of the most critical organizations in the solar industry. Articles like this bring solar home not just to the industry, but to those outside the industry who might be willing to support us. Outreach like this is why the solar industry continues to expand beyond its traditional constituencies. So throw a little money into the tip jar to support the Vote Solar Equinox fundraiser. They do the work behind the scenes that you never see but that makes your job immensely easier.