Co-author Morgan M. Gerard
Until very recently, mainstream power purchasers have not viewed renewable energy as a reliable hedge against other energy sources, mostly because the costs associated with constructing or purchasing the output of renewable energy systems were very high. However, renewable energy generation systems are increasingly being viewed by large and small consumers alike as a viable hedge against fossil fuel price volatility.
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Topics:
Distributed Energy,
Solar Energy,
Renewable Energy,
Distributed Generaton,
Wind Energy,
Grid Parity,
Natural Gas,
Volatility,
Natural Gas Volatility,
Electricity Price
Co-author Morgan M. Gerard
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Topics:
Distributed Energy,
Solar Energy,
ITC,
Net Metering,
Net Energy Metering,
Investment Tax Credit,
NEM,
DG,
Distributed Generaton,
rooftop Solar,
Rooftop PV,
NPUC,
Solar Rooftop,
Solar Roof,
Nevada,
NV Energy,
Net Metering Battle,
Nevada Public Utilities Commission
The New York City Council is considering a breakthrough bill to mandate installation of solar power systems on all municipal buildings. The Big Apple in many ways has already taken the initiative and adopted policies to promote cleaner air and combat the local greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. To this end, the de Blasio administration has articulated the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050. Merrill L. Kramer recently testified at a hearing on the bill where he applauded the Council’s initiative, but also discussed the private market challenges facing roof-top solar that may hinder the Mayor in achieving his carbon reduction goals. Particularly, Mr. Kramer identified delays and bottlenecks at the Department of Buildings (DOB) and New York City Fire Department (FDNY) for obtaining permit approvals, and the lack of a "one-stop shop" decision-making authority to identify problems and implement processes for streamlining permitting. Mr. Kramer highlighted the manual review process for solar permit applications as the single largest obstacle to deploying roof-top generation, causing delays for projects already on a tight timeline. The State of New York offers city residents a property tax abatement for the value of their panels, which expires at the end of the year.
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Topics:
Distributed Energy,
Solar Energy,
New York City,
DG,
DER,
Distributed Generaton,
New York City Solar,
New York Solar,
rooftop Solar,
Rooftop PV,
new york city rooftop solar
Co-author Morgan M. Gerard
Many of the polices that helped enable the proliferation of rooftop solar installations in California, specifically net metering at the retail rate of electricity, have been preserved by the state’s Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), at least for the time being. Although net metering has come under fire in recent years, the Commission in a proposed decision issued this past Tuesday, sided with the solar industry despite utility claims that rooftop generators are overcompensated for their electricity, and do not share in covering the maintaining costs of the grid.
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Topics:
Energy Policy,
Distributed Energy,
Solar Energy,
Renewable Energy,
Net Metering,
Net Energy Metering,
California Public Utilities Commission,
NEM,
CPUC,
DG,
Time of Use Pricing,
TOU,
Distributed Generaton,
Distributed Resource Plans,
DRP