By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

I’ve complained for years that the utility business model in the United States is broken. The idea that a centralized electricity production system is more efficient and effective than a decentralized model is one that certainly deserves to be challenged (if not, as would be my preference, tossed aside entirely).

Now the Rocky Mountain Institute has released a report suggesting that if there is to be an energy transition in this country – away from polluting fossil fuels and in the direction of clean, renewable energy – that changes to the utility business model aren’t just necessary, they’re essential.

To drive the changes, RMI, America’s Power Plan and Advanced Energy Economy Institute have put together a lengthy report detailing the policy and regulatory options they believe will help create, as they term it, a more customer-centric grid experience.

“The grid is experiencing rapid changes in its shift to a 21st-century system, and electric utilities have a fundamental role to play in ensuring this transition strengthens resilience, improves environmental performance and protects the interests of customers while maintaining essential features of affordability and reliability,” Dan Cross-Call, a manager at RMI and one of the report’s authors, said in a press release announcing the report’s release. “This report offers a practical guide to industry leaders—regulators, utilities, grid operators, policymakers and policy influencers—on how to best engage with an increasingly decarbonized and distributed energy system, shepherding and managing this transition to maintain the fundamental role of utilities and achieve new policy objectives.”

The report not only outlines 10 reforms they believe are critical to building the grid of the future, but they also released a series of real-life case studies that show these reforms in action.

As more renewable energy is produced in the United States, utilities are panicking as they try to figure out how to deal with the additional distributed generation options that are bleeding customers off the centralized grid and affecting revenues for today’s centralized utilities. Studies like the RMI study show there are alternatives, if the utilities are willing to listen and evolve.

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

Today is the day when we say thank you to the veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces for their service and sacrifice to a grateful nation. Some of us know that we could never serve them the way they have served us.

But what we can do as the solar industry is try to pay them back by giving them jobs when they come home – something The Solar Foundation has worked diligently since the Department of Energy chose to fund a Solar for Vets program back in 2016.

According to The Solar Foundation’s 2017 National Solar Jobs Census, there are 21,599 veterans employed in the solar industry across the United States, meaning veterans make up 9% of the total number of solar workers in the nation. This is more than the 7% veteran employment percentage of overall workers in the economy. What’s more, the jobs veterans fill come in all shapes and sizes, from manufacturing to installation to everything in between.

The best part of encouraging veterans to join the solar industry is that some of the job skills translate directly. America’s solar industry needs the technical skills of America’s veterans, and with appropriate training and certification, transitioning service members can make solid solar career matches. Military skills translate well for electrical and mechanical technicians, logistics specialists, and engineers.

In fact, the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) highlights potential careers for veterans on its Solar Career Map page on its website. The range of careers spans from entry-level positions all the way up to advanced careers. And once a veteran joins a solar company, then further training can get them the skills they need to move into higher and higher positions.

In other words, the solar industry isn’t just about creating jobs for our former soldiers and sailors – it’s about creating lifelong careers for these men and women who have sacrificed so much to protect and serve the rest of us.

So today, let’s make sure we take time out to thank the veterans we know for their service and sacrifice – and, if they’re looking for work, get them connected to the solar industry. It’s the perfect place for them to find their next career.