Net metering is a common distributed renewable energy policy in the United States, allowing individuals to “turn back” their meter (and reduce their electric bill) by generating on-site electricity. But utility accounting systems typically prevent people from sharing the output from a single, common solar or wind project. Virtual (or group or neighborhood) net metering (now … Read More
(Last updated in 2015.) “Aggregate net metering” is a modification to net metering that allows electric customers to offset energy use at all meters or buildings with solar at any meter or building.… Read More
(Last updated in 2016.) Virtual (or group or neighborhood) net metering (now also called “shared renewables”) allows utility customers to share the electricity output from a single power project, typically in proportion to their ownership of the shared system.… Read More
In nearly every state, an electric customer can offset their own energy consumption with on-site power generation, such as a solar panel. But for larger electric customers, net metering has a hitch. In many states, the solar array (or other power generation) has to be attached to the same building (or meter) where the entity wants … Read More
One strategy to boost solar and lower its cost is to include it in new or substantially retrofitted buildings. Several states now offer the option or requirement to include solar on new public buildings.
Few policies make renewable energy production easier than CLEAN (Clean Local Energy Accessible Now) Programs, also known as feed-in tariffs. The basic premise is to require utilities to buy renewable energy from individuals or businesses on long-term, fixed price contracts at prices sufficient to encourage them to invest. The most robust policies span multiple technologies (wind, … Read More
The state of Vermont has come up with a good rule for reducing the cost of solar power installations. A national study recently found that local permitting can increase the cost of residential solar by 15-20%, a problem that becomes more pressing as the cost of solar hardware falls. Vermont’s rule shifts the burden of permitting … Read More
The state of Colorado passed a law in 2011 to solve the problem of inconsistent and expensive solar permitting costs. A national study recently found that local permitting can increase the cost of residential solar by 15-20%, a problem that becomes more pressing as the cost of solar hardware falls. Colorado’s Fair Permit Act (HB 1199) … Read More
In a recent report, SunRun and Vote Solar revealed that permitting costs were rapidly becoming a much more significant portion of the cost of a small-scale solar installation, nearly 20%! Some states have responded with policies designed to streamline and reduce the costs of permitting.
