SEIA Applauds Decision to Veto Anti-Solar Bill in West Virginia
West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin has vetoed legislation, HB 2201, which could have jeopardized the future of rooftop solar in the state by rewriting West Virginia’s net-metering policies. In announcing his decision, the Governor said the bill contained technical errors.
West Virginia Legislation Poses Serious Threat To Rooftop Solar
Is it politics at play? Or simply a case of sloppy drafting? Whichever the case, West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin has a tough choice to make in the next few days. Legislation now on his desk, HB 2201, could jeopardize the future of rooftop solar in the state by rewriting West Virginia’s net-metering policies. Regardless of the motives of the bill’s authors, pure or clandestine, we strongly urge Gov. Tomblin to do the right thing – veto the bill and start over.
The Effect of State Policy Suites on the Development of Solar Markets
Analysts at the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have used statistical analyses and detailed case studies to better understand why solar market policies in certain states are more successful. Their findings indicate that while no standard formula for solar implementation exists, a combination of foundational policies and localized strategies can increase solar photovoltaic (PV) installations in any state.
New Jobs Report Shows Value of Solar Energy to U.S. Economy
WASHINGTON, DC - Growing at an annual rate of more than 20 percent – far outpacing the growth of the overall U.S. economy, a new report released today shows that the U.S. solar industry added more than 31,000 jobs in 2014, bringing total employment in the sector to 173,807 workers. The results were released by The Solar Foundation (TSF), a widely-respected, non-profit organization.
Nevada Continues Strong Solar Investment
With the addition of another major solar power plant supplying clean, renewable energy to America’s sunniest state, Nevada was second in the nation in added solar capacity during Q3, according to GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association’s (SEIA) most recent U.S. Solar Market Insight® quarterly report. The Copper Mountain 3 project added 171.4 megawatts (MW) to Nevada’s solar portfolio.
Utah’s Solar Industry Beginning to Take Hold
A new growth industry is emerging in Utah, where residential solar installations in Q3 alone were equal to the amount installed in all last year. In addition, added solar capacity in Q3 was more than six times the capacity installed over Q3 2013, according to GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association’s (SEIA) most recent U.S. Solar Market Insight® quarterly report.
SEIA Applauds New York PSC Decision to Raise NEM Cap, Move Community Solar Forward
In another step forward for clean, renewable solar energy, the New York Public Service Commission (PSC) has approved raising the net energy metering (NEM) cap from 3 percent to 6 percent for all utilities. At the same meeting, the PSC announced plans to advance Community Shared Renewables, an innovative concept that could enable renters and millions of other New York energy consumers to go solar for the first time.
U.S. Solar Installations Soar In Q3; Total Capacity Hits 17.5 GW
This post also appeared on Renewable Energy World. Click here to viewAny way you look at it, the sun continues to shine brightly on America’s solar energy industry.
Financial Impacts of Net-Metered PV on Utilities and Ratepayers: A Scoping Study of Two Prototypical U.S. Utilities
As distributed generation continues its rapid expansion, these new resources will have an increasingly larger role. This analysis focuses on two prototypical investor-owned utilities, one in the southwest and one in the northeast. For each utility, this study models the potential impacts of PV over a 20-year period, estimating changes to utility costs, revenues, average rates, and utility shareholder earnings and return-on-equity (ROE).
Solar Valuation and the Modern Utility's Expansion into Distributed Generation
Residential solar's diffusion across the U.S. power grid is inspiring concern in the utility industry. Of particular debate have been net energy metering policies (NEM), which engender revenue losses and lead to cross-subsidization of solar customers by non-solar customers. An emerging alternative to NEM is the value of solar tariff (VOST), which is designed to pay residential solar generation based on a more nuanced benefit-cost analysis to determine the actual value of residential solar to utility operations.