Policy Update: The Busy is About to Get Busier!
There was a time when the "dog days of summer" really did mean "a period marked by lethargy, inactivity, or indolence." But the summer of 2016 was marked by anything but inactivity on the policy front. And it's about to get busier.
First, once again, a huge "THANKS" to everyone who helped out in responding to the draft solar report (UM 1758), which certainly made the last month very hectic. The draft report was damaging to our industry and needed a strong response. And respond you did. In addition to OSEIA's comments, many OSEIA members called and sent e-mails outlining the potential negative impacts of the draft report's recommendations.
The schedule to deliver the report to the legislature has been significantly altered as a results of the comments and the follow-up workshop that was held. The second draft of the report was originally due on August 23, then was pushed back a week and now is not due until September 2 because the PUC got permission from the legislature to turn in their report a several weeks past the original September 15 deadline. In addition, several workshops have also been scheduled. Hopefully all this will result in a better report to the legislature. If it doesn't, well, OSEIA members have shown we can bring the heat.
Lots of other activity is happening at the PUC as well.
Read the whole policy update here.
If you read nothing else:
Mark April 18, 2017 on your calendar. That will be Solar Lobby Day at the Oregon Capitol in Salem. Can we get at least 100 solar industry people there? I bet we can!
Thanks for everything. Go Solar!
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OSEIA Storage Committee Meeting
DATE: September 7, 2016
TIME
: 1:00pm - 2:30pm
LOCATION: OSEIA Offices -
421 SW 6th Ave., #1125 (inside RNW offices)
Call in option: contact us for information.
*Committee meetings are for OSEIA members only. For more information, email
Jeff.
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Welcome New OSEIA Members!
Oregon Energy Green
provides renewable project management, utility services, energy consulting, infrared analysis and energy audits in Oregon and California.
Conta
ct
Buzz Thielemann
for more information.
health, and education, all based on sustainability. We advocate for renewable energy, net zero buildings, electric drive vehicles, local organic food, personal health, and sustainability-oriented education. Published quarterly and available for free in the Portland/Vancouver metro area.
Contact Susan Place
for more information.
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Congratulations on Your New Role Rikki!
Rikki Seguin, one of OSEIA's Board Members and a renewable energy advocate, has accepted the position of Policy Director for Renewable Northwest. Rikki has been with Environment Oregon as State Director for many years. She played a leading role in developing the Community Solar policy which eventually became part of Oregon's new Clean Electricity and Coal Transition law. Rikki begins her new role on September 12 and will be working with Kelly Hall and Jeff Fox. Congratulations Rikki!!
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RETC Solar PV Meeting 8/31 in PDX
Today, August 31, 2016 @ 1:30pm
Oregon Department of Transportation
123 NW Flanders Street
Portland, OR 97209
Main Floor A&B Conference Room
Call-in number: 1-888-273-3658; access code: 3125235 Or e
mail Elizabeth Ross for more info [email protected].
The Oregon Department of Energy (ODOE) will hold a public meeting to gather stakeholder feedback about potential changes to the Residential Energy Tax Credit (RETC) program, for solar photovoltaic systems. Click here for more information.
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ODOE Offers $2M in Tax Credits for Renewable Thermal Projects
The Oregon Department of Energy is offering up to $2 million in tax credits for projects that help conserve energy in Oregon.
Applications are being accepted for projects that displace electricity generation with technologies such as solar thermal, biomass or direct-use geothermal. Please visit their opportunity announcement for more information and to view the full list of eligible projects.
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My Solar Story- Craig Ernst
A regular column to highlight solar stories from your peers.
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circa 2016 in front of the old OSEIA offices from back in the day....
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Bright Beginnings- Part 1 of 3.
Like many of us employed in the solar industry in Oregon my first job in solar began with John Patterson in 2007. I had spent the previous year obsessed with solar technology and as a hobby read about it every night. I remember showing up at Milwaukie High School for "Career Day" in 2006, with solar garden lights, claiming to be a solar specialist. The previous year, 2005, I presented as a video editor; but since that is not what I wanted to do with my life I chose to make something up: "fake it till you make it." is a real thing.
By 2007 I was convinced, whether it made financial sense or not, that I would install solar on my house. I invited Mr. Sun Solar himself to come to my house and I immediately drank the kool-aid. "I can heat my water with a system developed and manufactured right here in Oregon?" SOLD!!! But first.... I convinced John to pay me $200 to help install the system and thus I spent two days cleaning the ends of copper pipes and hauling equipment all over the place, my first job in solar. Brion Wickstrom was there, he showed up with long hair and a fully dialed, custom made truck- it was tremendous... click here to read all of part one.
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Meet Mike: Energy Trust's new executive director
Michael Colgrove joined Energy Trust on August 15 after 15 years with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority where he was both the director of the New York City office and director of multifamily programs. YSERDA promotes energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy sources to reduce customer energy bills and greenhouse gas emissions, while accelerating economic growth.
Mike brings decades of experience in promoting energy-efficient and renewable energy technologies throughout all sectors of the economy. He'll do the same at Energy Trust of Oregon, helping us reach and serve as many customers as possible with clean and affordable energy that powers our state's economy. Read a full Q&A session on Energy Trust's blog.
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Electrical Code Training- Last of 2016
OSEIA members receive a 30% discount.
Email
for the code, no more refunds will be given.
Sept. 7th in Portland -
Solar 101 for Electricians
course is being offered on Wednesday, September 7 from 4:00pm - 8:00pm at Eoff Electric Supply in Portland, OR. This training qualifies for 4 hours of Code Related CEUs with Oregon BCD.
Click here
to register.
Sept. 9th in Eugene - Solar PV Systems & the 2014 NEC and Solar PV Systems Best Practices & Energy Trust Installation Guidelines are being offered on Friday, September 9 from 8:00am - 5:00pm at North Coast Electric in Eugene, OR. This training qualifies for 4 hours of Code Change CEUs and 4 hours of Code Related CEUs with Oregon BCD as well as 8 hours for NABCEP CEUs. Click here to register.
NEW Course!
October 14 in Seattle, WA
-
Code Compliance in the Installation, Operations and Maintenance of PV Systems
is being offered on Friday, October 14 from 12:00 - 4:00pm at North Coast Electric in Seattle. This raining qualifies for 4 hours of Industry Related CEUs
and
4 NABCEP hours. Click here to register.
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OSEIA + WISE Event A Big Success
Thank you to our panelists- Sarah Wilder, Kaitlin Borstelmann, and Rikki Seguin and to our event sponsors- Itek Energy, Eoff Electric Supply and WISE! We had a great showing, intelligent conversation, and delicious seasonal bites. Stay tuned for our next OSEIA Solar Women's Event!
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Local Women's Group Engages Youth
Portland Oregon Women in Renewables (POWER) (IG: @powerportland) is a local professional group comprised of over 50 members. As a mentoring project this summer POWER volunteered to help strengthen and diversify the next generation of our workforce and to build confidence in young girls by orchestrating three Solar Summer Camps.
Over the three summer camps, 96 girls (ages 8 to 16), actively engaged in solar education activities. They learned how solar cells and electrical circuits work, installed racking and solar panels on a training roof, and soldered and designed their own solar USB chargers to take home.
Read more about POWER and how you can help here!
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Solar Drinks with Solar Oregon Tonight!
Wednesday, August 31st, 6 PM
Omey Home, 2105 N Webster St, Portland OR (the tour will begin and end here)
Join the Solar Oregon team for networking, a tasty beverage, and a North Overlook Neighborhood guided solar walking tour. Bring your walking shoes and walk with us to visit homes on N Humbolt St., N Wygant St., and N Alberta St where we will stop for drinks, food, and conversations with the solar ambassador homeowners. I hope you can join us!
Register here.
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Ashland Moves Toward Clean Energy Goal
(From Ashland Daily Tidings) A proposed citizen initiative to mandate that 10 percent of Ashland's energy be produced from "new local and clean resources" by the year 2020 is "a super accomplishable, doable goal," says Eric Hansen, general manager of True South Solar, a company that installs solar power systems.
Currently the city uses 5 to 7 percent renewable energy and mostly clean energy according to Adam Hanks, the city staffer most knowledgeable about energy and tasked with figuring out how to make the initiative work.
"A lot of work will have to be done to figure out definitions in enacting the ordinance," said Hanks. Clean energy is a non-technical term referring to anything that's not fossil-fuel based, according to Hanks, while "renewable" calls for a more rigorous definition. "Eighty-five percent of what the city gets could be defined as clean, such as hydro power, which is not necessarily renewable," according to Hanks. Nearly all energy used in the city is purchased from the Bonneville Power Administration, which generates nearly 85 percent of its power from hydroelectric sources and 10 percent from nuclear sources.
Read full article here.
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Heatspring Courses
Want to advance your career in solar? Check out Headspring's solar courses:
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Oregon BESTFEST2016
September 8-9, 2016 @ World Trade Center Portland- Every September, the cleantech community gathers for Oregon BEST FEST, the
Pacific Northwest's premier cleantech innovation conference. Oregon BEST's signature event brings together a diverse audience of university researchers, entrepreneurs, industry leaders, investors, and curious individuals who have the common goal of accelerating solutions to environmental challenges. This two-day, hands-on gathering harnesses Oregon's spirit of innovation in sustainability to improve the world's ability to live, work, and build in healthier and more sustainable ways. Register here:
http://oregonbestfest.org
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Exclusive SPI code for OSEIA members!
September 12 - 15, 2016 @ Las Vegas Convention Center,
Register today!
For OSEIA members only, attend Solar Power International for 15% less. Email for exclusive code.
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Ocean Renewable Energy Conference XI
We're a proud partner of Ocean Renewable Energy Conference XI! This year's conference will take place on
September 21-22 at the Leftbank Annex in Portland, OR.
Now in its eleventh year, OREC is the gathering place for world leaders deeply committed to moving this industry forward. Register today at
http://bit.ly/OREC2016
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CUB Policy Conference
Join OSEIA and others at the sixth annual CUB Policy Conference, The Future Starts Now, on October 14, 2016 at the Downtown Portland Hilton.
Presented by the CUB Policy Center, this conference will explore emerging issues in the utility sector. The program is specifically designed to educate utility analysts, policy analysts, attorneys, industry professionals, stakeholders, and others working in and around the energy industry.
The event will kick off with a panel featuring five Pacific Northwest utility CEOs, and breakout session topics include The Final Frontier: Has SB 1547 Changed Everything?; Californication: What Do ISOs And EIMs Have To Offer The Northwest?; How Will Our Solar Garden Grow?; Read My Lips: What Do Consumers Want?; A Brave New World: Rate Design For The New Reality; and Taking It To The Streets: At The Intersection Of Energy And Transportation. Learn more and register here!
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