Intersolar Summit Returns To Brooklyn on March 24th!

Intersolar Summit is returning to Brooklyn NY on March 24, 2016! With both solar and energy storage markets surging in the northeast, the organizers expect another sell-out to solar and storage professionals engaged in all aspects of these growing markets, especially now the solar investment tax credit (ITC) has been extended for another 5 years and Governor Cuomo has announced New York State’s approval of a $5 billion Clean Energy Fund to encourage renewable sources of electricity.

Intersolar Summit USA East gives its attendees a perfect chance, to stay on top of latest policy developments, opportunities and key issues impacting the U.S. East Coast solar and energy storage markets. Officially supported by the New York State Senate represented by New York State Senator Kevin S. Parker it offers great business matchmaking opportunities with regional market key players.

Further information: http://www.intersolarglobal.com/en/summits/usa-east.html

Intersolar AWARD and ees® AWARD – Applications being accepted until March 24

In order to cope with the strong growth and manage the increasing amount of renewable energy in the grid, market-driven innovations are more important than ever.

Each year the Intersolar AWARD recognizes pioneering ideas and new approaches in the category of “Photovoltaics”. Beginning in 2016, the Intersolar AWARD will recognize “Outstanding Solar Projects” that set a particularly inspiring example in driving the global energy transformation forward. The existing categories, which previously recognized applications in Europe, North America and India, are being combined so that in the future the award for Solar Projects will be presented at the global level. Along with exhibitors at Intersolar and ees exhibitions, the owners of the projects are also eligible.

The energy storage market is booming and accordingly the ees AWARD will be presented for the third time running at ees Europe, the continent's largest exhibition for batteries and energy storage systems. The award celebrates outstanding products and solutions for energy storage technology in the areas of materials, production, systems technology, applications, second-use concepts and recycling.

Companies wishing to apply for the Intersolar AWARD and ees AWARD are invited to submit their applications by March 24, 2016 at the latest. Products, projects, services or solutions may be submitted by exhibitors from all international Intersolar and ees exhibitions in 2016.

More information: www.intersolarglobal.com/award

California Utilities Launch Legal Battle Against NEM Ruling

By SI Staff, Solar Industry Magazine

Three of the largest investor-owned utilities in California – Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), Southern California Edison (SCE) and San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) – have submitted a legal challenge opposing the California Public Utilities Commission’s (CPUC) Jan. 28 decision to continue net metering.

On March 7, PG&E filed a rehearing application for the net energy metering proceeding, referred to as NEM 2.0, asking the CPUC to vacate its decision. According to the California Solar Energy Industries Association (CALSEIA), this would effectively prevent customers from installing solar after the current rules expire if the CPUC’s legal division agrees to further review. The other two utilities, the group adds, are calling for major changes that would make solar inaccessible to a majority of customers.

According to Bernadette Del Chiaro, executive director of CALSEIA, “The utilities are continuing their legal maneuvers because it is disruptive to the solar industry. Rather than working in partnership with solar companies and striving to reduce costs for customers, utilities would prefer to be obstructionists and muck up the market.”

CALSEIA asserts that the proceeding to consider net metering changes has already lasted 22 months and has extended one month past the state legislature’s deadline. After deliberation, the CPUC decided to reject the utilities’ proposals to replace net metering with what CALSEIA says are complicated schemes.

However, a spokesperson for PG&E says, “With their final decision, we are extremely disappointed that the CPUC did not take the opportunity to meet the important goals set out in Assembly Bill 327 and make the smart energy reforms that are needed to ensure a sustainable market for solar in California.”

“PG&E advocates that the CPUC re-evaluate their decision in order to address the cost incurred by non-solar customers and determine the appropriate subsidy for solar customers,” the spokesperson adds.

Brad Heavner, policy director for CALSEIA, refutes this argument, claiming that the utilities’ actions will unfairly deprive their customers of solar opportunities.

“The utilities continue to use false analysis to claim that net metering is a massive subsidy,” says Heavner. “Rather than accepting the commission’s decision and allowing their customers to go solar under fair rules, the utilities are fighting to keep opportunities away from their customers.”

Although the CPUC ruling rejected the utilities’ proposals, CALSEIA notes the decision does make significant changes to net metering, requiring customers to pay both an upfront and an ongoing monthly fee and to be subject to time-varying rates.

The CPUC says it will continue re-evaluating the rules but intends to make changes gradually so that customers will still have the opportunity to install solar and the industry will have time to continue lowering prices.

The new net metering rules will not affect current solar customers or those who install solar before the utilities meet their caps – April for SDG&E, October for PG&E and early 2017 for SCE – on the current rules. If the CPUC does not grant the applications for rehearing, the new rules should be in place in time to enable a seamless transition.

Source: http://solarindustrymag.com/california-utilities-challenge-state-decision-to-protect-net-metering

Utilities look to reverse net metering decision

SDG&E wants “modifications”

By Rob Nikolewski, The San Diego Tribune

San Diego Gas and Electric and two other major California utilities Monday filed applications urging the California Public Utilities Commission to hold a rehearing to vacate or make "modifications" to its decision keeping retail rate net metering in place until 2019.

"We feel it's in the best interest of our customers to re-look at this issue and consumer advocates actually agree, as they have taken similar action," said SDG&E representative Amber Albrecht.

In January, in a tense 3-2 vote, the CPUC sided with solar backers over utilities that insist they are not trying to blunt the growth of solar power in California.

Instead, utilities say the net metering system that pays rooftop solar customers for the excess electricity their systems send back to the grid is unfair to consumers who don't have solar energy systems.

Solar companies and their customers say the power their systems generate helps lower strain on the electrical grid and reduces the need to buy power during times of high demand.

"Sadly, the investor-owned utilities refuse to accept the policy objectives of California and prefer to cling on to their antiquated fossil fuel business models rather than allow our state to move towards energy independence,” Daniel Sullivan, founder and president of Sullivan Solar Power, said in a statement. 

The net metering framework prompted supporters to deliver 130,000 petitions to the CPUC ahead of its Jan. 28 meeting and the commission — in a ruling that ran more than 150 pages — agreed to keep tying credits to retail rates, rather than near wholesale rates that other states use.

The commission did, however, pass rules requiring new solar customers pay a one-time interconnection fee that is estimated to cost $75 to $150.

Other fees will go into effect for new users but don't apply to customers with systems already in place.

The CPUC said it will continue to re-evaluate the rules but the decision was widely viewed as a big win for solar, as other states such as Nevada have rolled back some solar incentives.

SDG&E filed its application for rehearing jointly with Southern California Edison, calling on the CPUC to make changes to its decision.

"What we've asked in our application is some modifications that help to limit the increases on our customers' electric bills," Albrecht said.

Pacific Gas and Electric also filed paperwork Monday, the deadline for applications for a rehearing, looking to get the commission to vacate its ruling.

They were joined by The Utility Reform Network, a ratepayer advocacy group, whose calls for a "value of distributed energy" tariff were rebuffed by the commission, and the Coalition of California Utility Employees.

SDG&E estimates customers without solar could pay an extra $300 on their utility bills by 2025.

"What we're really looking at is who's really paying this additional money to maintain the grid, to build out the two-way infrastructure needed to support rooftop solar," Albrecht said.

But solar companies dispute those figures.

"The utilities continue to use false analysis to claim net metering is a huge subsidy," said Brad Heavner, policy director at California Solar Energy Industries Association. "Rather than accepting the commission's decision and allowing their customers to go solar under fair rules, the utilities are fighting to keep opportunities away from their customers."

The CPUC has 120 days to respond to the requests for a rehearing.

Source: http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2016/mar/08/utilities-net-metering-decision/