 | California's New Interconnection Policies First to Address Cost Certainty and Storage
By Sky Stanfield, IREC regulatory expert
 With June's unanimous, long-awaited decision issued on its Rule 21, California once again cements its leadership position on several cutting edge clean energy issues.
The comprehensive Rule 21 Order adopted by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) provides numerous innovations to mitigate costs associated with connecting clean energy to the grid, facilitates a clear process for interconnecting energy storage systems, and enables implementation of smart inverter functionality.
Since the outset of this proceeding, begun in 2011 and grown from landmark statewide interconnection standards adopted in 2000, IREC has worked extensively alongside the utilities, ratepayer advocates, and clean energy industry representatives and advocates to get to this point.
What started as a fairly contentious proceeding without much stakeholder alignment, became a highly collaborative effort with largely consensus based outcomes. What's more, the main California investor-owned utilities helped to develop and support the adopted innovations.
The ruling sets a new high bar for interconnection best practices for other states to emulate, while making needed improvements for the benefit of California energy customers. More | And the Results Are IN!
The votes are in for IREC's 2016 3 iAwards honoring innovation, ingenuity, inspiration from the nation's best in both renewable energy and energy efficiency. This year, nearly 1,000 of you voted for our finalists, an impressively distinguished group of meritorious projects and acclaimed people. Want to know who won? Join us as we honor our 2016 3iAwardees at Solar Power International in Las Vegas at 4pm PST on Tuesday, September 13th in the solar industry trends booth #171. | Support IREC! IREC counts on public and private funds to produce the success stories you've come to depend on since 1982. Join our corporate sponsors and individual donors who enable IREC to continue to shape positive trends, meet state and federal challenges, solve problems and make progress toward a clean energy future. Find out about corporate sponsorship opportunities or make a personal donation today. | IREC Corporate Sponsors Heartfelt thanks to our generous supporters who encourage our visionary leadership for a clean energy world.
The Interstate Renewable Energy Council, Inc. is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization proud of its national reputation for independent, unique expertise and unbiased, thought-leading publications and resources. Our sponsors understand that IREC's important work is in no way influenced by the generosity of their tax-deductible donation. | | | | IREC Team's Work as Critical as Ever
By Larry Sherwood
IREC President/CEO |  I write this message from a plane leaving DC and heading home to Colorado, finishing up a whirlwind month of meetings with federal decision makers, workforce and regulatory partners and funders. As you read this, I am in my first days as the new president and CEO of IREC. Wow! What a privilege and honor it is to lead this great organization as we continue to work for a clean energy future.
First, I cannot thank Jane Weissman enough for her decades of tireless work to encourage the development of clean energy resources. She always pursues the highest quality in everything she touches - from solar installations to the IREC Team. Her belief that quality installations and quality people are the path to a clean energy future, has raised the proverbial bar for not only the industry, but also for so many of us as individuals.
It is a tribute to Jane's leadership to note what a passionate, dedicated, and talented group of professionals she assembled to carry out IREC's mission around the country. They are top notch and I hope you have the opportunity to interact with them in your own work.
As I assume the lead at IREC, I will not try to be Jane's clone. Rather, I hope that several years from now, Jane can look at our achievements and see her work continuing in new ways.
I know that IREC's mission is as critical today as it was over the past two decades - to ensure the long-term growth of clean energy technologies. I am dedicated to advancing that mission and continuing IREC's uniquely independent programs, expertise and resources. More |  The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) and IREC announced in June a partnership that created a new, cutting edge, online training course. The self-paced, video-based training offers critically important information and real-world simulations for fire fighters, to keep them safe and confident around photovoltaic (PV) solar systems. More |  This new position, Regulatory Program Coordinator, will work closely with IREC's Regulatory Director Sara Baldwin Auck, IREC's regulatory team of attorneys and experts on national distributed energy policies and consumer issues. Interested? |  For more than six years, IREC administered the Solar Instructor Training Network (SITN). Together with the U.S. Department of Energy and regional training providers, we have successfully improved the solar education and training acumen for instructors, and ensured that instructors have the necessary tools to develop and grow effective solar programs. SITN's successor program, the Solar Training Network, will be led by our friends at The Solar Foundation. STN will continue the momentum started by the SITN. More
|  Celebrating its 25th year, Intersolar North America 2016 is a key industry solar platform for manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, service providers and partners. This year, IREC will present on four critical topics:
Monday July 11 4:00-4:50 pm | Industry Panel THE ROAD AHEAD Business Model Implications of Market and Policy SIgnals: Net Metering, Curtailment, Ancillary Services Sara Baldwin Auck, IREC Regulatory Program Director
Tuesday July 12 11:15 am-Noon| Making Virtual Net Metering Work in California Erica McConnell, IREC regulatory team expert
2:00-3:45 pm | Scaling Shared Solar: What's Working, What's Not, and What's Next Moderator: Sara Baldwin Auck
Erica McConnell
Wednesday July 13 4:15-6 pm | Smart Renewable Energy: Keeping an Eye on the Ball. How States are Changing the Rules of the Game for Distributed Energy Resources Moderator: Sara Baldwin Auck
Sky Stanfield, IREC regulatory team expert
Intersolar North America is in San Francisco July 12-14 at the InterContinental Hotel & Moscone Convention Center. The conference is July 11-13; exhibition is open July 12-14.
| | ABOUT IREC The Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) is a non-profit organization that believes clean energy is critical to achieving a sustainable and economically strong future. To pave this clean energy path, IREC works to expand consumer access to clean energy; generates information and objective analysis grounded in best practices and standards; and leads programs to build a quality clean energy workforce, including a unique credentialing program for renewable energy and energy efficiency training providers and instructors. Since 1982, IREC's programs and policies have benefitted energy consumers, policymakers, utilities and the clean energy industry. As of July 2013, IREC is an accredited American National Standards Developer.
Disclaimer | The Interstate Renewable Energy Council, Inc. (IREC) does not assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product or process that is referred to or linked to in this newsletter. Reference to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply IREC's endorsement or recommendation. | | | |
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