NREL Solar Technical Assistance Team to Partner with Illinois, Nevada, and New York
Three organizations were selected to receive expertise from the Solar Technical Assistance Team (STAT) Network to address critical questions and challenges to making their states more solar friendly.
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), as a member of the STAT Network, will be partnering with the Illinois Office of Energy & Recycling, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), and the Nevada Governor's Office of Energy.
Illinois Office of Energy & Recycling
The STAT Network will help the Illinois Office of Energy & Recycling to better understand how solar PV deployment can stimulate economic development in Illinois.
The STAT Network and Illinois will explore solar policy scenarios and their impact on solar deployment and economic development. This new analysis will employ NREL's Distributed Generation and Market Demand (dGen) and Jobs and Economic Development Impact (JEDI) models. Results from this project will be shared at the National Association of State Energy Officials' (NASEO) 2016 annual meeting Sept. 11-14 in Providence, R.I.
New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA)
The STAT Network also will be partnering with NYSERDA to better understand soft costs related to financing, specifically in New York. NREL will provide a summary of solar project financing models and mechanisms available to residential and commercial solar markets with a focus on three primary financial models: loans, power purchase agreements, and cash purchase.
This project supports the NY-Sun, which is part of the governor's initiative to improve the efficiency, affordability, and reliability of energy systems in New York State. Launched in 2012, NY-Sun aims to add more than 3 gigawatts of installed solar capacity in the state by 2023.
Nevada Governor's Office of Energy
In Nevada, the STAT Network will provide a range of support on solar technology deployment and economic development issues. These projects include reviewing a "Green Bank" study commissioned by the Nevada Governor's Office of Energy, providing a summary of the major findings from feed-in-tariff analyses and renewable portfolio standards trends, and participating in Nevada's New Energy Industry Task Force meetings.
The Governor's Office of Energy oversees energy programs required through statute and those that help to meet the mission of the office, which is to ensure the wise development of Nevada's energy resources in harmony with local community economic needs and Nevada natural resources.
The STAT Network is a project of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) SunShot Initiative implemented in partnership with the NREL and with assistance from National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) and the Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA).