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VA Solar Energy Industries Association Solar Flare MD-DC-VA Solar Energy Industries Association 4-12-2012 Volume 3, Number 1 Save the Date! In This Issue Join us on May 3rd for a Networking Happy Hour The 2012 Solar Energy Focus Conference MDV-SEIA and Kenergy Solar invite you to a solar industry - MD Policy Update will be held November 13-14, 2012 in networking happy hour on the evening of May 3rd begin- DC. p. 1-2 ning at 6 p.m after the board meeting. Join fellow profes- - VA Policy Update sionals and MDV-SEIA board members to share industry Member Spotlights: p. 2-3 perspectives and updates, swap stories and simply relax. - D.C. Policy Update Kenergy Solar is located at 7059 Blair Rd NW, Suite 300, p. 3 Washington, DC 20012. The office is one block from - D.C. Leading the Way the Takoma Metro Station on the Red Line. Parking is avail- in Solar Density able for those who plan to drive (2 parking lots and street P. 3-4 parking.) - Permitting in DC Join MDV-SEIA on Facebook, Twit- P. 4 Congratulations! ter, and LinkedIn for the latest solar - Permitting in Mont- news, action alerts, legislative updates, gomery County Zach Axelrod of Skyline Innovations and Tony Clifford of Stand- and events in the mid-Atlantic region P. 4-5 ard Solar have been appointed to the national SEIA board. Fran- Member Spotlight² cis Hodsoll of E&E Frontiers has been appointed as an alternate for State Representative to the SEIA board. p. 5 Collaboration between MDV-SEIA & SEIA Leads to Success of Board of MD Solar Bill Directors A Legislative Triumph at the Eleventh Hour GHHPVWKHOHJLVODWLRQD´KXJHYLFWRU\µWKDW´VKRZV that Maryland is committed to the benefits During the 2012 Maryland legislative session, President oF solar: green jobs, local investment, cleaner envi- MDV-SEIA partnered with SEIA, as well as other clean URQPHQWDQGQHZHQHUJ\WHFKQRORJLHVµ Anthony E. CliFFord energy-oriented organizations, to successFully pass Standard Solar legislation that will provide stability and accelerate The Need for a Market Fix in Maryland Rockville, MD jobs and investment. MDV-SEIA and SEIA developed and advocated Past President This legislation³ the most signiFicant energy this legislation to address the looming boom-bust cy- legislation passed during session³ will accelerate the William Rever cle. Prior to this bill the statute created a hockey BP Solar DFKLHYHPHQWRI0DU\ODQG·VVRODUHQHUJ\UHTXLUH stick demand curve providing for a slowdown and Frederick, MD ment by two years to 2020. Though H.B. 1187 passed then a signiFicant ramp up. Additionally, several large Executive Director both the Economic Matters Committee and the entire -scale projects are coming on-line which were con- House unanimously, there was a tough fight in the Francis Hodsoll tracted by the State. These projects will saturate 6HQDWH)LQDQFH&RPPLWWHHIRUWKHELOO·VSDVVLQJ,QL E&E Frontiers the supply. The solar industry witnessed this in states Washington, D.C. tially the bill was voted down in the Senate Finance like Pennsylvania where aggressive state incentives Committee, and it was on liFe-support at best. How- created the unintended negative eXternality oF a sat- ever, a refusal to accept defeat by MDV-SEIA, SEIA urated market unappealing to both investors and de- and numerous advocates resulted in a reconsideration velopers. oF the bill ² technically the Committee Chair separat- MDV-SEIA and several oF its members collabo- ed the Senate and House versions oF the Bill voting on rated with solar and energy industry stakeholders to a Senate only version. After a favorable vote in com- perForm an in depth cost-benefit analysis on the pro- mittee, the bill advanced to the Senate at large, posed legislation. where it passed 37-9. MDV-6(,$·V)UDQFLV+RGVROO ϭ (MD. Policy Update Continued ) Maryland Representatives The benefits included the acceleration oF 10,000 jobs in Maryland is a testament to what can be achieved Kerinia Cusick DFURVV0DU\ODQG·VHFRQRP\E\RYHUELOOLRQLQ when we take the time to do the very hard work oF SunEdison investment, $140 million in taX revenue to the state, FUHDWLQJFRQVHQVXVZLWKLQWKHLQGXVWU\µ Beltsville, MD and a total oF 1,200 MW oF solar energy. All at a mini- Rick Peters mal average cost oF $.19 per month for the residential MDV-SEIA and SEIA thank the following partner organi- Solar Energy Services, ratepayer. zations for their support oF the bill: Inc. Millersville, MD A True Team Effort Chesapeake Climate Action Network While numerous solar champions provided sig- Delaware Solar Energy Coalition Ken Stadlin IEC Chesapeake Kenergy Solar niFicant support to the eFFort several oF MDV-6(,$·V Millersville, MD Board of Directors deserve special mention: Mike Hea- Maryland Clean Energy Center ly, Kerinia Cusick, Tony CliFFord, Colin Murchie, Rick Maryland League of Conservation Voters District of Columbia Peters, and Ken Stadlin. These solar advocates spent Maryland Sierra Club Representatives countless hours meeting and testiFying with key legis- Vote Solar Initiative Michael Healy lators to support and lobby the bill. MDV-SEIA interns Skyline Innovations organized Maryland Solar Social Media Day aFter the Washington, D.C. House subcommittee hearing, which attracted mem- Yuri Horwitz ber organizations, external organizations, and the at- Sol Systems tention oF national companies and organizations. An Washington, D.C. all-of-the-above strategy was implemented to make Colin Murchie sure the bill gained traction. SolarCity Washington, D.C. The solar industry will begin to see some sig- Virginia niFicant changes in financing and Federal subsidization policies. The sunsetting oF the federal taX-credit in Representatives 2016 and more recently the eXpiration oF the 1603 Mitchel A. King Treasury grant program have led some to predict a Old Mill Power Co. slowdown in the astronomical growth the industry wit- Charlottesville, VA nessed for the last four years. Thus, policies like the Richard Good one introduced in Maryland, which sustain stable, pre- MDV-6(,$·VOREE\LVW%U\VRQ3RSKDPGHEULHIVVRODU Solar Services, Inc. dictable, and proFitable markets in the long term will Virginia Beach, VA advocates and MDV-SEIA members regarding legis- help drive continued investment into a market worth lative strategy in Annapolis. over $240 billion; growing over 500% in just four eco- Contact Us nomically depressed years. www.mdv-seia.org +RGVROOVXPPHGXSWKHURRWRIWKHELOO·VVXF FHVVZHOO´7KLVLPSRUWDQWIL[WRWKH0DU\ODQGPDUNHW [email protected] was possible because the industry as a whole put aside all parochial issues and worked together. This victory Virginia Policy Update With Late Breaking News MDV-SEIA tracked about 12 bills addressing and manner oF placement oF such solar energy col- various renewable energy initiatives. Mitch King OHFWLRQGHYLFHVµ7KHODZUHPDLQVVOLJKWO\DPELJX President oF Old Mill Power Company, and one of RXVDVWRWKHGHILQLWLRQRIZKDWLV´UHDVRQDEOHµ MDV-6(,$·VERDUGPHPEHUVDFWLYHO\SXUVXHGQLQH however it is a step in the right direction and can be ELOOVDQGWKUHHZHUHGHIHUUHGXQWLOQH[W\HDU·VOHJLV considered a victory for the industry. lative session. There were several other bills considered The legislature successFully passed legisla- ´SDUWLDOVXFFHVVHVµIRUWKHLQGXVWU\0'9-SEIA tion (SB 382- McEachin) that would require utilities tracked legislation that will allow renewable energy participating in the RPS program to publicly disclose companies and their customers to enter into Power the states where the renewable energy was generat- Purchase Agreements (PPAs). This would continue to ed, the decades in which the generation units were lower the upfront cost and financial uncertainty oF put into service, and the type oF resource used to investing in a solar energy system. Other states have generate the renewable energy. successFully used PPAs as a finance mechanism. This bill was deFerred to 2013 and stakeholder meetings Another bill, SB 627 nulliFied restrictive cov- will occur in the interim. enants on solar installations. Community associa- tions can no longer prohibit an owner to install a Del. Cosgrove showed support for the idea solar energy generation system, but can still estab- oF establishing solar thermal credits. SB 492 estab- OLVK´UHDVRQDEOHUHVWULFWLRQVFRQFHUQLQJVL]HSODFH lished thermal credits for biomass Combined Heat Ϯ (Breaking News from Virginia Continued) and Power Plants (CHP). The solar thermal credits were not included in the final law signed by the Governor. However, lawmak- ers are now aware and more accepting oF the idea. 6HYHUDOLPSRUWDQWFRQFOXVLRQVFDQEHGUDZQIURPWKLVOHJLVODWLYHVHVVLRQ'XHWRWKHLQFUHDVLQJXVHRIVRODU´FDUYH-RXWVµ by other states to create speciFic incentives for solar investment, key Virginia legislators are now more interested in this idea. MDV-SEIA helped to raise awareness oF the importance these carve outs have for certain technologies that utilities would other- wise avoid. Another important take-away would be a piece of legislation attempting to incentivize renewable energy R&D. SB 413 ZRXOGDOORZXWLOLWLHVSDUWLFLSDWLQJLQWKH6WDWH·V5363URJUDPWRDFKLHYHXSWRRIWKHLUUHVSHFWLYH536*RDOVWKURXJK ´FHUWLILFDWHVHYLGHQFLQJWKHXWLOLWLHV·H[SHQVHVLQFRQGXFWLQJUHVHDUFKDQGGHYHORSPHQWDFWLYLWLHVLQ9LUJLQLDUHODWHGWRUHQewa- EOHRUDOWHUQDWLYHHQHUJ\VRXUFHVµ7KLVFRXOGSURYHYHU\XVHIXOIRUUHQHZDEOHHQHUJ\LQ9LUJLQLDDQGZLWKLQWKH86UHSUesents a unique way to incentivize state-level R&D investment in a post-stimulus world. (Most government-Funded renewable and alter- native energy R&D is federally financed via general taX revenues whereas SB 413 effectively incentivizes ratepayer financing of such R&D.) Ultimately, MDV-SEIA faced
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