Solar Citizen: March 27, 2014

Scientific American: Fight Over Rooftop Solar Forecasts Bright Future for Cleaner Energy

David Biello, associate editor for energy and environment at Scientific American, this week summed up the intensifying battle over rooftop solar and net-metering.

His conclusion:  “War is coming, and when it comes, it may sweep away not only the American electric utility as it has been for the last century-the world’s largest machine-but also the legacy car companies and even the most recent iteration of the American way of life, making the bucolic lifestyle of the suburbs sustainable in a novel way. But only if the powers that be stop fighting the sunshine.” More

Minnesota: Solar Worth 14.5c per kWh  

Sometime next week, Minnesota’s Department of Commerce is likely to find that Xcel Energy can and should pay 14.5 cents per kilowatt/hour for net-metered rooftop electricity. That “value-of-solar”calculation was first implemented by the municipal utility in Austin, Texas. If it becomes a precedent for other net-metering states, distributed solar will boom.More

Climate Ride to Benefit ASES

Climate Ride is a nonprofit group organizing and supporting multi-day bicycling events to raise money for sustainability and bicycling advocacy. ASES is now a Climate Ride beneficiary!

In 2014, Climate Ride offers three cycling events: California in May, and Midwest and East Coast in September. Cyclists must raise money to participate and can choose up to five beneficiaries from over 80 organizations.

Cycle your heart out, make new friends, and raise money for ASES! Or donate to a cyclist you know! More

ALEC Attacks Fail in Utah, Washington

This month, solar advocates scored wins against anti-solar utilities, their national trade association Electric Institute (EEI), and the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).

In Utah and the state of Washington, solar advocates preserved net metering with zero changes to this core rooftop solar policy.

The Alliance for Solar Choice is a coalition of rooftop solar installers dedicated to protecting and promoting net energy metering.

Utility net metering attacks have now failed in six states over the past year. ALEC joined this anti-solar battle by introducing a template for model anti-net metering policies in a variety of states, and Washington and Utah are the first decisions stemming from this template – both ending in ALEC defeat. More

California Revives PACE Loans

CaliforniaFIRST residential PACE program will launch this summer in 17 California counties and 167 cities, and makes energy and water efficiency projects more affordable and accessible for millions of California homeowners.

“We are thrilled to launch the PACE residential program to help homeowners keep more money in their pockets,” says Cisco DeVries, CEO of Renewable Funding. “We especially want to thank Governor Brown and State Treasurer Lockyer for their work to again make this public-private partnership possible. With California in a severe drought and facing higher energy costs, this is a win-win in the truest sense. Homeowners throughout the state will now have more options to lower their energy and water bills and generate clean energy.”

 Under the CaliforniaFIRST program administered by Renewable Funding, homeowners will be able to choose a contractor and install a custom-tailored clean energy project-including the purchase and installation of HVAC systems, solar panels, low-flow toilets, home insulation, windows and roofs. Through PACE, property owners’ repayment is secured through a special tax assessment repaid by the homeowner through the property tax bill over up to 20 years. More

 

ASES celebrates 60 Years of Science in 2014. Join us at SOLAR 2014 (the National Solar Conference), in San Francisco, July 6-10. 

Registration is open now!

You can help! Join and support your local chapter 

of the American Solar Energy Society.   

Now save money when you join or renew your
ASES and Chapter membership together. 

Click here to learn how!

 

To ASES Members: 

Proceedings of the 2013 National Solar Conference

are available online. Click here to read the papers.

Solar Citizen is a program of the American Solar Energy Society. 

Copyright 2014 by the American Solar Energy Society

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