Regulators question Ameren’s math in net metering case
The utility is looking to move forward with a new rebate structure worth half the value of net metering, despite regulators’ orders to keep the rate in place until questions about the calculations Ameren is using to justify the new rate can be answered.
New Jersey regulators approve year two of the state’s community solar pilot, double capacity
150 MW of capacity are available for development in 2021, with at least 40% of all approved projects required to reserve at least 51% of their capacity to serve low- and middle-income households.
Rhode Island economists attempt to put a price on NIMBYism
Researchers at the University of Rhode Island have suggested homeowners are prepared to pay $279 per year to avoid living within a mile of a large-scale solar plant. Other research has contrary findings.
Investing in equitable access to solar energy for Hispanic communities
As one of the fastest growing American communities, the Hispanic population has been historically underrepresented in solar energy. The barriers that have excluded Hispanic people from solar, however, are not permanent and work can be done to ensure an equitable energy transition.
State solar news: Net metering attacked in Vermont and Utah, Maine goes big in PV
In Vermont and Utah, net metering is under attack — in danger of being significantly devalued or eliminated. In Arizona, the state’s rooftop solar export rates have been saved for at least another year. Outside of policy, Maine has announced the winners of the state’s largest-ever renewable solicitation.
In which states does solar matter most?
Not all solar projects are created equal — a new report from Clearloop, Downstream Strategies and WattTime outlines the areas in the country where development would make the biggest difference in reducing emissions and cleaning the grid.
The net metering debate comes to a head in Florida
After one state rep and utility front group attacked the state’s net metering policy, Florida regulators have decided to hold a workshop where opponents and proponents alike can hash out their arguments, with the life of the program potentially hanging in the balance.
Avoiding rolling blackouts and solar shortfalls with real-time energy use data
Sense, a machine learning company, has found that a broader use of strategies for shifting home energy consumption can help alleviate grid strain, asserting that up to 55% of the electricity used in homes between 6-8pm is “shiftable.”
Building a solar market and creating jobs in Southwest Virginia’s coalfield counties
The public-private partnership will put 10-12 MW of solar on commercial rooftops, multifamily housing and schools, but could face regulatory barriers to third-party ownership and net metering.
Rooftop solar in Indiana worth 13¢/kWh, not 3¢/kWh, says expert witness
A high level of distributed solar in Indiana would reduce utility costs by up to $540 million per year, a national lab has found. Fair compensation for rooftop solar power in southern Indiana would be 13¢/kWh, an expert calculated—not the 3¢/kWh proposed by a utility.
