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RMI Report Offers Vision Of Possible Utility Structures In Future

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.

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“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.

A Solar Tribute On Veterans’ Day: Thank You For Your Service To Our Country And Industry

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.

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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.

Solar Jobs Development Gets Infusion Of Government Cash

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

The Solar Foundation has received a $2 million grant from the Department of Energy’s Solar Energy Technologies Office to expand its solar jobs training efforts, focusing particularly on veterans.

This new program will include an effort to support solar industry apprenticeships for hundreds of transitioning military veterans, preparing them for leadership roles in a rapidly growing industry. The program will also provide expert assistance to help the solar industry leverage workforce development resources and hire more workers from underserved communities.

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The Solar Foundation was selected as a part of the Energy Department’s FY2018 SETO funding program, an effort to invest in new projects that will lower solar electricity costs and support a growing solar workforce. The Solar Foundation will work alongside other projects in the funding program to develop training programs that prepare the solar workforce for a more digital electric power system and enable veterans and transitioning military personnel to join the solar workforce.

This new program will expand on The Solar Foundation’s current and previous efforts to help build a pipeline of qualified solar workers across the country, through initiatives such as the Solar Training Network, Solar Ready Vets, and the National Solar Jobs Census.

“We’re committed to building a solar workforce that can meet the urgent challenges of the 21st century,” said Andrea Luecke, President and Executive Director at The Solar Foundation. “This new program will help veterans and other job seekers develop advanced technical skills and become America’s future solar leaders.”

Working with industry partners, the new program will create solar industry apprenticeships for hundreds of veterans departing the armed forces, and develop a scalable model to train even more in the future. This effort will take advantage of the transferable skills that make service members outstanding candidates for careers in solar.

The new solar jobs effort will be led by The Solar Foundation with partnership from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Hiring Our Heroes program, the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP), and Cypress Creek Renewables.

Make Time To Take The Solar Foundation’s Jobs Survey

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

I know it seems like we just did this, but that’s because as you get older, time speeds up exponentially.

So when you receive your notification from The Solar Foundation that it’s time to fill out their National Jobs Survey again, don’t think it’s a mistake; it really is that time of year again.

It should be obvious, but every year I hear people ask why they should fill it out. How does it help them?

To which I say, are you crazy?

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It’s a 15-minute survey, but the effects of it are felt throughout the entire year. A good showing in the Jobs Census means positive coverage of the solar industry for at least a month after the survey comes out. Then there’s all the follow-up coverage that cite the statistics gleaned from the survey.

Then there’s the fact that the industry continues to show its strength as an economic driver, which translates into real political power. After all, where else can you find the number of solar workers in states down the Congressional district? Nowhere else, that’s where.

The most ridiculous argument I’ve heard people use for not filling out the survey is that it takes too much time. Really? You can’t find 15 minutes in your day to answer a series of questions that ultimately will show your strength and the strength of your industry to the public at large? This. Is. Important. It’s completely worth your time and effort.

As a matter of public record, I fill out the survey every year for my own company, Narrative Solutions. Why? Because the majority of my clients are in the solar industry. So my firm, though it is not exclusively a solar firm, is part of the solar industry. I have a vested interest in seeing all of you succeed. And if my one job adds to the incredible numbers the rest of you put up, well, then so much the better.

Filling out the National Job Survey from The Solar Foundation is your obligation to yourself and to the industry you serve. Take the 15 minutes necessary to fill it out – let’s defy expectations and tell the general public that despite attempts to shut us down (with tariffs), we are a growing, thriving and exciting industry of which to be a part. You can start your survey here – and thank you for your service.