Washington Is About To Run Out Of Solar Incentives (So Snap Them Up Quick)

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

Once the money is gone, it really is gone. That’s the news out of Washington state care of the Tri-City Herald, where an article warns potential solar consumers that they must get their applications in now if they want the full solar incentives available to them.

As the article notes:

Some home or business owners in Richland planning to install solar panels likely are facing a drop in rates in the city program that buys electricity from small solar systems.

And now a state tax incentive program is expected to run out of money soon, likely shutting many homeowners and businesses that plan to install solar out of getting the benefit.

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The problem here is apparently twofold. First, the compensation structure is set to drop significantly at the end of the year. Secondly, the pool of state money set aside to encourage solar installations – originally set by the legislature at $110 million – is a hard cap, meaning there is no more money available to potential solar consumers once the money runs out.

Time is running short for potential solar consumers to apply for all of the incentives available to them. They must get their application into Washington state before February 14, 2019, but the catch is that the system must be up and running two weeks before that to qualify for full net metering and whatever money is left in the state coffers to subsidize the installation.

After that, installations will be put on a wait list to see if there is any money left over in the state fund. If not, then those solar consumers will find themselves out of luck.

The article also notes that there’s an outside chance the Washington legislature could add more money into the fund, but one advocate warns that it took four years for the original bill to pass in 2017, so solar consumers shouldn’t count on the legislature being any more timely this time around

Rutgers Will Research New Jersey Energy Storage Path

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

With just six days left until SolarWakeup Live! New Jersey, the topics are set – but attendees might be forgiven if they have a few off-topic questions that they might decide need to be addressed.

Take, for example, the announcement by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities that Rutgers University will be studying the state’s energy-storage needs as the regulatory board prepares to shepherd through Governor Phil Murphy’s aggressive plans to have 2 GW of energy storage by 2030.

The contract with Rutgers, announced yesterday and covered by the Press of Atlantic City, will last six months and cost $300,000.

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“The ability to store energy is critical for our future,” NJBPU President Joseph L. Fiordaliso told The Press. “Energy storage systems will provide emergency back-up power for essential services, offsetting peak loads, and stabilizing the electric distribution system, which ultimately will benefit the ratepayer.”

Under the contract, Rutgers will study whether renewable energy storage will promote EV use in the state and what effect it will have on renewable energy production in the state, as well as doing a full cost/benefit analysis of the expansion of storage options.

Governor Murphy made expanding renewable energy in the state – and solar in particular – a centerpiece of his campaign. Earlier this year, he signed two bills into law that, combined, established the state’s community solar program (later bolstered with provisions to encourage the development of community solar in low-income neighborhoods), reformed the state’s important (but flawed) solar Renewable Energy Credit (SREC) program and established a new renewable portfolio standard of 50% by 2030.

Murphy succeeded former Governor Chris Christie, who had vetoed the RPS expansion on his way out the door and had created a difficult market for the solar industry under his leadership. During his tenure, the state dropped from being the No. 2 solar state in the country to much lower in the Top 10. Murphy hopes to return New Jersey to its place of prominence within the solar community.

While New Jersey has fallen, other New England states like New York and Massachusetts have grabbed the majority of the headlines – but with its strong renewable energy and storage provisions, New Jersey

More:

N.J. regulator contracts with Rutgers for energy storage analysis

Partnership Allows Marylanders To Marry Clean Energy And Batteries

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

Maryland residents will soon have the opportunity to marry clean energy and battery storage, thanks to a partnership between CleanChoice Energy and Swell Energy.

As power outages become more prevalent as violent, climate-change induced storms rock the U.S. mainland, home battery storage is increasingly becoming a necessity, not a luxury. Thanks to CleanChoice and Swell, Marylanders can install home energy backup and perhaps qualify a state tax credit of up to $5,000.*

Last year, more than 36.7 million people – including 88,000 Marylanders – were affected by 3,526 reported power outages across the country.

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“People need reliable backup power now more than ever. Climate change is fueling extreme weather that makes the grid more vulnerable to power outages at the exact time that we all depend on electricity for nearly everything. Marylanders can now have peace of mind knowing their lights will stay on when the power goes out,” said Tom Matzzie, CEO of CleanChoice Energy. “Home battery backup makes our homes more resilient, helps move us closer to 100% clean energy, and can make dirty generators obsolete.”

“This program enables us to offer Maryland CleanChoice Energy consumers a radically simple, cost-effective clean energy and smart home solution,” said Matthew Rising, CRO of Swell Energy.

Home batteries store energy from the electric grid and provide seamless backup power to run essential items during power outages of up to 12 hours**—long enough to get through nine out of 10 utility company power outages.

Home energy batteries are a clean alternative to dirty generators that run on polluting fuels including gasoline, propane, natural gas, and diesel fuel. Burning fossil fuels contributes to climate change and unhealthy air pollution; for example, diesel exhaust has been classified a potential human carcinogen.

Swell offers batteries to homeowners as-a-service, and virtually combines the storage capacity across these batteries to provide energy and grid services to its utility and retail electricity partners.

*Tax credit information based on Maryland Energy Administration Energy Storage Tax Credit Program and should not be construed as legal or tax advice nor does it guarantee availability, qualification, or amounts of incentives or credits.

**A standard home will use 1-2 kW/hour. The total time that a battery can power your home during an outage depends on your individual usage.

It’s All About The Jobs: More Funds Flow To Solar Workforce Development

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

How do you know the solar industry is now a serious player in the economy of the United States? More money is flowing from the government into research on how to develop the workforce that is necessary to fill the jobs it’s creating.

Following news that The Solar Foundation received a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) to foster training for veterans (among others) comes news that the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) has received a grant from the office for $6 million – three times as much – to develop the data science and analytical skills needed to manage the more integrated grid of the future.

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EPRI, along with a collaborative of electric utilities and universities, will launch the Grid-Ready Energy Analytics Training (GREAT) with Data initiative before the end of 2018. The initiative will address workforce skills in four key, emerging technical areas: (1) data science, including descriptive, prescriptive, and predictive analytics, and machine learning; (2) cyber security; (3) information and communication technologies, with an emphasis on interoperability and standardization technologies; and, (4) integration of solar photovoltaic and other distributed energy resources such as energy storage, electric vehicles, and demand response.

This initiative will focus on engineers and computer scientists, with an expanded focus on the new technologies, datasets, and planning tools at the intersection of power system operations and technology (OT) and information technology (IT) in an advanced, electrical power system. Additionally, the program will develop certifications, credentials, qualifications, and standards for the training and education needed in the electric utility industry workplace.

“The engineers of today and tomorrow need to understand the tools and analytics necessary to make sense of the intersection of OT and IT that is transforming the grid,” said EPRI Principal Technical Executive and GREAT project lead Tom Reddoch. “This project is about growing and supporting that workforce with the skills they need to be successful.”

Because electric utilities rely heavily on regional resources from which they obtain assets and people, the GREAT team also will develop five strategic regional training hubs across the United States to prioritize, guide, and customize content development, feedback, and training to support regional workforce needs. The five-year initiative will build upon the existing GridEd program, which EPRI has run for the past five years for the Energy Department, to train and recruit power systems workers and develop university curricula for new engineers and computer scientists.

Utility participants on the project development team include: American Electric Power, Austin Energy, Bonneville Power Administration, Con Edison, Duke Energy, Entergy, FirstEnergy, Lincoln Electric System, Portland General Electric, Riverside Public Utilities, Salt River Project, Snohomish Public Utility District, Southern California Edison, Southern Company, Tennessee Valley Authority, and the Western Area Power Administration.

Collaborating universities include: Stony Brook University; University of California, Riverside; Virginia Tech; and Washington State University.