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With its history of populist, progressive politics, it is probably less surprising than one might think that Minnesota has emerged as a solar market leader in the Midwest. Mike Taylor, SEPA’s former director of research, sees the state as a case study in the opportunities and challenges generated by policies aimed at expanding the solar market.
Held March 9-10 in Boston, SEPA and SEIA’s PV America solar conference was focused on New England markets and policy. But this year’s event seemed to reach beyond regional boundaries, reflecting a solar industry immersed in ever-increasing and accelerating levels of technical innovation, market growth and policy sophistication — with good stories to tell.
2016 was the year that community solar became seriously cool — by which I mean it was widely embraced as a means to increase access to solar and its many benefits for utilities, consumers, solar developers and society in general. Certainly, the proliferation of programs and projects — aka, the community or shared solar boom […]
I used to tell a joke when I would speak at a conference. “What do you call someone who has worked in the solar industry for one year?…An expert.” Cymbal crash. After 11 years with SEPA and 16 years in the solar industry, I will be leaving my current job on July 15. Inspired by […]
A $705,830 competitive award from the Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative will allow the Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) to launch a groundbreaking research initiative aimed at accelerating the spread of community solar energy programs across the country.
For solar energy to be fully integrated onto the electric grid, it must first be “visible” — so utilities and grid operators can fully manage the flow of solar power from rooftop installations as well as larger-scale projects. SEPA’s upcoming Solar Integration Workshop will focus on the complex issues surrounding visibility and how utilities and solar technology firms are responding to the challenges.
As utilities contemplate a future that includes a growing number of customers with rooftop solar and electric vehicles, what strategies will be needed to leverage the benefits of both technologies? SEPA’s Erika Myers reviews current trends and says the way forward is holistic.
Across the country, scores of electric cooperatives are turning to solar power, for largely pragmatic reasons — economics and customer choice. Recognizing the opportunity, co-op leaders are seeking and beginning to find active ways for their utilities to support and shape the growth of solar among their members, with community solar projects and other innovative business models.
Some of the recommendations in the “Future of Solar Energy” report, authored a team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, may elicit knee-jerk concerns and criticisms — and are not totally devoid of self-interest. But the paradigm shifts the report calls for in solar energy research and policy present clear opportunities for utilities, policy makers and other solar industry stakeholders that deserve careful consideration.
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