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May 2012
Greetings!

In this issue of DSIRE's monthly news, you'll find an overview of DSIRE's solar resources, laundry lists of recent renewables policy actions and staff speaking engagements, and, by popular demand, another round of nerd trivia.

Enjoy!


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* In This Issue *
DSIRE Tools & Shortcuts
Juicy Policy Developments
Where It's At
Nerd Trivia!


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DSIRE Tools & Shortcuts  
Climbing Aboard the Solar Train

DSIRE Solar -- the solar-specific component of DSIRE -- provides an armada of public resources to help businesses, consumers and solar aficionados make better sense of the complex solar policy environment in the United States. First and foremost, DSIRE Solar offers a solar-specific version of the DSIRE database itself, in the form of a clickable U.S. map. All content included pertains to solar, and the database is searchable by solar-electric, solar-thermal or both.*

 

But that's not all...

 

The DSIRE Solar Policy Guide, a living publication, was created with state policymakers in mind. It describes different types of financial incentives and regulatory policies that encourage solar, along with the status and trends of different policy types, examples of best practices, and additional resources for further information. It's the perfect Father's Day gift or (late) Mother's Day gift for your favorite policymaker. 

 

DSIRE's solar policy comparison tables provide details of state rebates and state tax credits for PV and solar water heating. These tables may be downloaded as spreadsheets. And thanks to our friends at IREC, we've just added 2011 solar installation data for each rebate program included.

 

DSIRE's solar news archive is a solar nerd's dream come true. It offers a database of hundreds of DSIRE articles summarizing solar policy and program developments since January 2009. The archive is searchable by state, year, month and incentive type.

 

DSIRE Solar also offers 16 summary maps of state incentives and policies that promote solar deployment. All maps are updated either monthly or quarterly. 

 

 

* If solar isn't your cup of tea, there's no telling what might come next. (DSIRE Wind? DSIRE Lighting? DSIRE Energy-Efficient Commercial Food Refrigeration Equipment?) Other ideas welcome.

 


Juicy Policy Developments 
Every two weeks, we churn out a summary of renewables policy developments, and our good friends at IREC publish these reports in full. A few examples of the juiciest recent renewables news: 

The DSIRE staff also tracks bills currently under consideration by state legislatures. Some intriguing examples are listed below. (To find out more about renewables bills currently in play in state legislatures, check out our policy-tracking service.)     

  • Iowa SF 2342 - would establish a tax credit for geothermal systems, a 10-year property tax exemption for geothermal systems, and a tax credit for solar energy systems. Passed House on 5/7/2012.

  • Michigan HB 5599 - would create "Green to Gold" Revolving Loan Fund for businesses that implement energy efficiency or renewable energy measures, manufacture clean energy products, and/or provide jobs or training for clean energy product manufacturing. Introduced on 5/8/2012.   

  • Mississippi SB 2786 - would allow state penitentiary property to be leased for wind farms. Passed both houses on 5/8/2012. 

  • New York SB 6670 - would allow remote net metering for micro-hydro systems installed on non-residential property. Passed Assembly on 5/7/2012.  

  • Vermont SB 214 - would expand the state's standard offer program from 50 MW to 127.5 MW over the next 10 years. Sent to governor on 5/14/2012.     

As a reminder, DSIRE provides ongoing lists of new incentives and policies added to DSIRE, and of incentives and policies updated by our staff during the previous two months.

 



Where It's At 
The DSIRE staff regularly travels to conferences (and cyberspace) to discuss policy issues and market trends. Here's where you can find us in the near future. If you're around, swing by and say hello!      

World Renewable Energy Forum, May 13-17, Denver, CO.  At this conference, Justin Barnes will present a paper he recently authored with Brian Lips and Amy Heinemann. This paper describes how PV is valued for property-tax purposes in several U.S. states with strong solar markets. In addition, Justin will participate in a forum to discuss tools and resources developed to increase policy transparency and to help consumers, businesses and developers understand how policies and incentives affect their investments in clean energy.

 

Argus U.S. Renewables Trading 2012 Summit, June 7-8, Washington, DC.  Justin Barnes will give a presentation addressing state-level RPS policies and markets for RECs and SRECs during this summit.  

SunShot Grand Challenge Summit and Technology Forum, June 13-14, Denver, CO.  Amy Heinemann will attend this U.S. Department of Energy summit, which focuses on DOE's SunShot Initiative goals of achieving grid-parity solar energy within the decade.  

 

Intersolar North America, July 9-12, San Francisco, CA.  Rusty Haynes will give a presentation on current PV policy issues and market drivers in U.S. states during the Semi North America PV Fab Managers Forum.

 
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The Solar Future: Eastern USA, May 10-11, New York, NY.  Rusty Haynes participated in a panel discussion of PV policy and market drivers in key East Coast states.  

 

U.S. EPA Green Power Partnership Webinar, May 8.  Amy Heinemann gave a presentation that provided an overview of the DSIRE site and its resources, and discussed incentives and policies that support the deployment of renewables. Incentives and policies relevant to businesses and local governments were emphasized.     

      

Distributed Solar Summit East 2012, April 25-27, Somerset, NJ.  Justin Barnes gave a presentation addressing solar policy and market opportunities in Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. 

 

  



Nerd Trivia! 
nerd
Question:  Which U.S. state or territory was the first to create both a renewables portfolio standard (RPS) and a public benefits fund (PBF) for renewables?

 Respond with an answer on DSIRE's Facebook page, and we'll 
 announce the answer and winner in the next issue.


(Congratulations to Kiera Lichter for correctly answering the previous nerd trivia question. Connecticut recently established ZRECs and LRECs. United Illuminating and Connecticut Light & Power are currently soliciting bids for ZRECs and LRECs.)

This news blast is published by the N.C. Solar Center at N.C. State University. While the DSIRE project is funded primarily by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, this publication is supported by other funds.