BUILDING ENERGY - Fall 2016 - 52
The Coalition is seeking additional support from the SunShot Initiative in the form of technical assistance to create a side-by-side comparison of interconnection policies and processes, and to identify gaps and opportunities for increasing process coherence. PERMITTING: The American PV industry has had a hard time driving down the soft cost of permitting solar. Solar installers favor a quick and simple process for permitting basic "cookie-cutter" solar systems, typically up to 15kW in size. Local building officials, sometimes referred to as "authorities having jurisdiction," often push back with stringent requirements and procedures reflecting low levels of familiarity with solar products and installation methods. This slows the process and increases costs of solar deployment. SEIA ranks Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Vermont in or near the top 10 U.S. states in terms of solar jobs and installed solar capacity (2015). California, home to America's most comprehensive, streamlined permit law, leads the way on solar capacity per capita, which is the key indicator in this discussion; no state in the Northeast measures up. New Jersey comes closest with just over half as much capacity per capita as California. Vermont's solar capacity per capita is just under half that in California. The Coalition's goal is to address solar permitting in order to enable the HOW TO FIND MORE INFORMATION Value seems to be the significant solar market policy issue for NESEMC states, where net metering caps are common. For this reason, Coalition staff have prepared and shared a series of documents specifically for Coalition members' use in helping to educate decision makers in their states on the VOS issue. The pieces, available at the NESEMC website, nesemc.com, include: * Achieving very high PV penetration: The need for an effective electricity remuneration framework and a central role for grid operators * How to Assess the True Value of Solar * Value of Solar Study Design Elements * Value of Solar Tariff Pilot Design Elements * Presentation - Understanding the Value of Renewable Energy Northeast solar market to develop from its relatively low level of development into a high-penetration market much more efficiently and rapidly. PAV E R S B Y I D E A L The Solution to Stormwater Runoff is Right Under Your Feet Aqua-Bric,® Eco-Stone® & Andover 5511™ Permeable Pavement Ideal permeable pavers offer built-in technology - the pavement and base act as a stormwater treatment system that reduces or eliminates runoff to reduce pollutants and improve water quality. ■ High-strength 9000psi pavement ■ ADA compliant ■ Freeze-thaw and snow-plow safe ■ Easy to clean and maintain ■ Cost competitive to porous asphalt ■ Qualifies for LEED® credits Ideal Concrete Block Co. S I N C E 19 23 www.IdealConcreteBlock.com CALL 1-800-24-IDEAL FOR A PERMEABLE LUNCH & LEARN 52 * BUILDINGENERGY 750578_Ideal.indd 1 VOL. 35 NO. 2 | FALL 2016 750581_RH.indd 1 24/06/15 5:44 am 14/07/15 1:51 pm
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