Solar Policy

  What are the latest solar trends in Q4 2019? Read EnterSolar’s policy highlights to learn more about…

  Solar is flourishing throughout the U.S., and many states continue to have strong incentives that encourage solar…

EnterSolar can garner the incentive on behalf of your company at no cost or obligation.

POLICY UPDATE

The state’s annual “ZREC” incentive program has just been extended by 4 weeks. The program has helped our clients, such as Aldi, Big Y, Bozzuto’s and The Hartford, increase their bottom lines and contribute to Connecticut’s energy goals.

 

The state of the “Windy City” has an abundance of natural, renewable energy resources at its disposal. Chicago’s strong gales might have given the city its famous nickname, but the infrastructure for wind energy can be difficult to integrate in developed areas. However, Illinois has no shortage of sunshine, and solar systems can be more easily incorporated into existing structures: rooftop solar, carport solar and ground-mount solar. Now, more than ever, Illinois is embracing solar power and developing incentives to support the transition to renewable energy in the state.

 

In 2014, the Mexican government initiated an ambitious “National Energy Market Reform.” One of the main objectives was to further develop the country’s solar industry. Four years later, and after much deliberation, the Department of Energy published the “Programa de Desarollo del Sistema Electrico Nacional” (PRODESEN), a policy document outlining the next 15 years of development in the country’s energy outlook. Mexico is developing a plan for a bright energy future, and to keep a finger on the pulse of the emerging solar market, an EnterSolar team traveled to Mexico City to attend Greentech Media’s (GTM) recent Mexico Solar Summit.

 

As policymakers across the U.S. continue to refine their methods of valuing solar energy development, several strategies have bubbled to the top.  Some policies emphasize a market approach that, in theory, benefits both utilities and solar system owners (e.g. New York’s Value of Distributed Energy Resources (VDER) Tariff).  While a market approach is advantageous because it incentivizes solar development based on the benefits that solar systems bring to a specific area of the electrical grid, this strategy may result in less predictable project economics. Other policies, such as Feed-In Tariffs, incentivize solar development by making project returns as predictable as possible, but conversely may over-incentivize solar development in less valuable areas of the electrical grid.

EnterSolar’s Technical Director, Edgar Lim, went to Washington D.C. for the Northeastern States Federal Lobby Day that took place on September 28, 2017. With his expertise in solar project development and equipment procurement, he joined the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) in educating U.S. Senators and Representatives about the impact of the solar industry on energy, jobs, trade issues, taxes and the economy.