Efforts to expand solar access to harder-to-reach markets have been the focus of dedicated low- and moderate-income (LMI) solar policies and programs over the past several years. Community solar programs and various financing mechanisms have been enacted at the state and local levels to extend solar access across diverse populations. Continue reading
NREL Conduit Blog
The NREL Conduit Blog discusses research relevant to state, local, and tribal governments. Contributing authors provide posts related to events, policy analysis, and decision support outcomes to inform the market in a credible and timely fashion.
(e.g., storage, resilience, LMI)
Meet a Solar Expert: Phillip Beiter and Anthony Lopez
May 02, 2016
This STAT Chat podcast features Phillip Beiter and Anthony Lopez from the Strategic Analysis Center as part of the Meet a Solar Expert series, a behind the scenes look at solar industry professionals. Continue reading
Solar Energy Improving Resiliency: A Look at California During a Historical Drought
August 19, 2015
In February, the Solar STAT blog featured a post on 2012’s Hurricane Sandy and how solar PV can support disaster resiliency . Extreme weather events are not limited to hurricanes, of course. Others, like California’s ongoing drought, pose additional challenges for electricity generators but also demonstrate an emerging role for solar energy. Continue reading
Hot Topics: Value of Solar
March 20, 2015
This three-part STAT Chat podcast series features Joyce McLaren, a senior energy analyst at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, discussing value of solar (VOS) policy, including what it is, how it is developed, and which methodologies are being used in the marketplace. Continue reading
Weighing the Costs and Benefits of Net Metering and Distributed Solar
December 10, 2014
Most states have implemented net energy metering (NEM) policies to value the contributions of distributed generation photovoltaics (DGPV) to the electricity grid. Continue reading
The Value Challenge: Benefits and Costs of Solar
October 04, 2014
The benefits and costs of distributed generation photovoltaics (DGPV) has become a trending topic among solar renewable energy professionals and policymakers. Currently, several jurisdictions are trying to develop a method for valuing solar while other locations are trying to determine the fairness of net energy metering (NEM) policies based on the benefits and costs of solar. Almost everyone agrees that this is not an easy question. Continue reading
Minnesota Values Solar Generation with New "Value of Solar" Tariff
October 03, 2014
This is the fourth and final blog in a series of articles on the growing interest in identifying and incorporating the values of solar (VOS) to the grid into electricity rate structures. Continue reading
Louisiana: Net Metering Cost/Benefit Study Authorized
August 21, 2014
This is the first blog in a four-part series of articles in which we discuss either the valuation of solar to the grid and various stakeholders or value-of-solar (VOS) tariffs and policies. Continue reading