IREC first developed Model Interconnection Procedures in 2005 in an effort to capture emerging best practices in this vital area. Several important evolutions in best practices are synthesized into the 2013 Model Interconnection Procedures, last updated in 2009.

The important advances incorporated into these model procedures include:

This paper explores the possibility of financing renewable energy projects through raising capital in the public markets. It gives an overview of the size, structure, and benefits of public capital markets, as well as showing how renewable energy projects might take advantage of this source of new funds to lower the cost of electricity.

State and local policymakers show increasing interest in spurring the development of customer-sited distributed generation (DG), in particular solar photovoltaic (PV) markets. Prompted by that interest, this analysis examines the use of state policy as a tool to support the development of a robust private investment market. This analysis builds on previous studies that focus on government subsidies to reduce installation costs of individual projects and provides an evaluation of the impacts of policies on stimulating private market development.

In this podcast, Becky Campbell, a Research Manager with the Solar Electric Power Association, discusses utilities and solar. This podcast covers what utilities see as some of the benefits and concerns when it comes to solar, and how local governments can effectively work with utilities to go solar.  To learn more about SEPA visit www.solarelectricpower.org.

Over the last several years, solar energy technologies have been, or are in the process of being, deployed at unprecedented levels. A critical recent development, resulting from the massive scale of projects in progress or recently completed, is having the power sold directly to electric utilities. Such 'utility-scale' systems offer the opportunity to deploy solar technologies far faster than the traditional 'behind-the-meter' projects designed to offset retail load.

Utility-scale solar projects have grown rapidly in number and size over the last few years, driven in part by strong renewable portfolio standards (RPS) and federal incentives designed to stimulate investment in renewable energy technologies. This report provides an overview of such policies, as well as the project financial structures they enable, based on industry literature, publicly available data, and questionnaires conducted by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

Barbara Buffaloe, the city of Columbia, Missouri’s Sustainability Manager and Connie Kacprowicz, a Utilities Services Specialist for Columbia Water and Light discuss the city’s solar initiatives and how they tie in with other energy efficiency and sustainability programs underway in the community. To learn more about Columbia’s solar and sustainability programs, visit http://www.gocolumbiamo.com/Sustainability/.

Cooperation between local governments and electrical utilities is essential to accelerating broad deployment of renewable energy. Join ICLEI USA and partners to learn how to work with your utility to create improved conditions for bringing renewable energy online. We'll focus on topics related to working with electric cooperatives on solar.

The City of New Orleans and its partners provide this New Orleans Solar Calculator website as a public service to assist persons in estimating solar potential and the potential value of installing solar panels at locations in the City. The accuracy of any information contained in or calculated from this website is not warranted by the City or its partners. Additionally, the parties specifically do not represent, promise or guarantee that you will achieve the outcomes estimated by this site or that the estimated savings will be obtained.

The 2011 Edition of Freeing the Grid marks the 5th year of the report. With the astronomical growth of the renewable energy industry and a heavy focus on distributed generation resources, these five years have
felt like a lifetime. Much has changed in that period, and much has been for the better. For instance, community solar and virtual net metering arrangements are now commonplace in many jurisdictions. This policy element didn’t exist when Freeing the Grid was first introduced.