SPI Day 2. Tomorrow I will be walking the floor after a busy week of meetings. The message thus far is that the event is busy and well attended. Glad to see the positive vibes moving throughout the solar industry. It may be quite a change from this busy Anaheim event to Salt Lake City next year.
AZ SEIA Backs RPS. Frank has the story on AZSEIA getting involved. More importantly this ballot initiative will be a great indicator of where Americans are on the RPS question.
SMART Coming up. About time and great news for the MA solar community. Let’s get some solar done!
More Infra Money. One investor looking for 2GW of solar. The interesting notion here is that infra funds are hiring bankers to do solar development and while I like many bankers, buying solar project is a bit different. That being said, I’m a fan of what the Statkraft message sends to the industry.
Join Us In Jersey City. Great agenda with knowledgeable speakers and wonderful sponsors. Not too late to join the team and get your name in the SolarWakeup. solarwakeuplive.com is the place for all the info.

Have a great day!

News

 

Have a great day!
Yann

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

For all of Nevada's struggles with solar energy - the inexplicable, precipitous shutdown of net metering that destroyed the rooftop industry for almost two years comes to mind - they are trying hard right now to bring about its renaissance. First, they reinstated net metering. Now they're on the verge of increasing the state's renewable portfolio standard (RPS) through a well-funded, seemingly popular ballot initiative. And today, the Public Utilities Commission (NPUC) adopted a framework that will require investor-owned utilities (IOUs)to create Distribution Resource Plans (DRP), which will determine what resources and grid upgrades the utilities will need to make to meet consumer demand for electricity. Essentially, the PUC is requiring IOUs to be thinking about how to integrate more distributed resources on to the grid in ways that they haven't before - which means more clean energy adoption in the future because the grid will be ready for it. Starting in 2019, NV Energy (NVE) will be required to file these 3-year distribution plans as part of their triennial integrated resource plans, which will allow periodic opportunities for stakeholders to review, refine and determine the grid needs. Over the past year, IREC, Vote Solar, and Western Resource Advocates participated alongside NVE, the Bureau of Consumer Protection and commission staff as part of the rulemaking to implement Senate Bill 146 – a bill that aimed to evaluate locational costs and benefits of distributed resources by adding the new DRP requirement for utilities. The results from the collaborative effort established these principal components of the Nevada DRP process:

• load and distributed energy resource (DER) forecasting;
• locational net benefit analysis (LNBA) to identify high- and low-value grid locations for DER solutions;
• grid needs assessment (GNA) to prioritize and screen projects that will address identified grid needs; and
• hosting capacity analysis (HCA) to identify the available capacity for DER at particular points on the distribution network.

“IREC appreciates the commission’s forward-thinking approach to this process and setting forth a strong framework for Nevada’s distribution resource planning,” said IREC Regulatory Director Sara Baldwin Auck. “Nevada’s work will ensure consumer-driven clean energy resources are integrated and optimized on the grid for years to come.” These four components will operate in tandem with the DRP. Each must function on its own as well as in conjunction with each other to ensure the DRP properly addresses identified grid needs with distributed energy resources and traditional resource solutions. "A well-executed Distribution Resource Plan has the potential to create substantial benefits for families and businesses by leveraging solar, storage and demand response technologies in locations that will make the electric grid run more affordably and reliably,” said Ed Smeloff, director of grid integration at Vote Solar. “With the new regulations, Nevada is putting itself on the leading edge in Distribution Resource Planning.”

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

As the battle rages in Arizona over the future of the renewable portfolio standard (RPS), which currently stands at just 15% by 2025, the pro-solar forces aiming to raise that by 35% gained a staunch ally yesterday as the Arizona Solar Energy Industries Association (AriSEIA) has announced its support for Proposition 127, which would increase the amount of Arizona’s power that comes from renewable sources to 50 percent by 2030. Proposition 127 has been the subject of great contention within the state. Proposed by California progressive billionaire Tom Steyer, the proposition received more than the necessary number of signatures to be placed on the November ballot for voters to weigh in on the issue. But it has run into significant opposition from the usual suspects, including Arizona Public Service, the state's largest utility. After fending off one lawsuit and several political action committees later, the proposition is moving forward and will be before voters in two months. The association is urging a “yes” vote on the proposition, which will be included on ballots for the November 6 election. A victory for this proposition will expand the solar and renewable energy industries in Arizona, leading to more job creation, a cleaner environment, and better public health across the state. “There is vast, untapped potential in solar and other renewable energies, and all Arizonans will benefit from increasing our reliance on these sustainable resources,” said Brandon Cheshire, AriSEIA president. “We believe Proposition 127 is a critical step in the right direction,” Cheshire said. “It’s a step toward more jobs for Arizonans, cleaner air for our children and future generations, and a more resilient power grid for all of us.” A recent report from the Natural Resources Defense Council found that a 50 percent renewable portfolio standard would translate to $4 billion in savings for Arizona. , “In addition, the investment in renewables and storage will create jobs in the state, and produce environmental benefits: lowering annual carbon dioxide emissions in 2030 by 4.6 million tons, equivalent to the annual emissions from 900,000 passenger cars,” the report states. Though Arizona sees 300 days of sunshine each year, utilities currently get just 6% of their power from solar energy. AriSEIA is the largest solar industry trade association in the state of Arizona.

Have a great day!

Yann

News

 

Have a great day!
Yann