Uncategorized
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National Solar Jobs Consensus 2012 – Great News for Solar & Economy!
On November 14th, 2012, The Solar Foundation released its third annual National Solar Jobs Census report, which found that the U.S. solar industry currently employs 119,016 Americans. This figure represents the addition of 13,872 new solar workers and a 13.2 percent employment growth rate over the past 12 months. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment in the overall economy grew at a rate of 2.3 percent during the same period*, signifying that 1 in 230 jobs created nationally over the ...
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Net-Energy Metering Study
CALSEIA joined Vote Solar, SEIA, and the Sierra Club in filing formal comments with the CPUC regarding the mandated study on net-metering’s cost-effectiveness and the value of on-site generation. Our comments focus on the scope of issues to be studied and seek to ensure that the value of distributed solar is appropriately valued by ratepayers and the utilities. Click here to read the formal comments.
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CAL/OSHA and Rooftop Safety
CALSEIA formally submitted a petition to CAL/OSHA to amend fall protection and skylight requirements for residential and commercial rooftop installations. The petition asks CAL/OSHA to consider safety innovations regarding skylights and rooftop work done by solar installers that currently meet the intent, but not yet the letter, of the regulations. If adopted by CAL/OSHA, it will be easier and safer for rooftop installers to comply with state rooftop safety regulations. This would benefit all rooftop ...
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CSI Guideline Revisions
The CEC hosted a workshop on revisions to the CSI Guidebook. CALSEIA will work with its membership to address issues associated with performance monitoring requirements for smaller systems whereby these costly requirements negate the CSI rebate. Formal comments are due on November 15th. Presentations and Program Administrators' Reccommendations
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Southern California Edison’s Rooftop Program Report
Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) released a report documenting best practices on the utility-owned portion of the SCE Rooftop Program. Although a lengthy report, there is interesting data with respect to development timelines and utility timeline-flows. See the report here
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Lease and PPA Disclosure Requirements
CALSEIA receives inquiries from the public regarding leases and power purchase agreements (PPA). CALSEIA does not provide legal or tax advice – people should contact a legal or tax professional. Below are references to federal and state laws that may govern your specific lease or power purchase agreement. Note that the terms and conditions of leases or power purchase agreements may vary among the providers of these financial arrangements. Customers should become familiar with the terms ...
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Feed In Tariff for California
SB 32, enacted in 2009, directs the CPUC to approve standard contracts and pricing for renewable energy generators (nicknamed a ‘Feed In Tariff”). The price for the contracts would be set based on the wholesale price of energy and the valuable attributes like reducing emissions, reducing the need for adding new transmission lines, and generating electricity during hours of peak demand.
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Solar Water Heating Value
CALSEIA’s new analysis quantifies the value of solar water heating – calls for immediate implementation of the State’s Solar Water Heating Efficiency Act. In 2007, Assembly Member Huffman authored AB 1470 to enact the Solar Water Heating Efficiency Act – signed into law in October 2007. This report is the first of its kind in valuing the attributes of solar water heating. This report calls attention to the fact that Solar Water Heating, for every forty ...
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Solar Energy Markets – Electricity
CALSEIA prepared the diagram below to illustrate the various paths to market for solar electric generation. The dark line across the diagram denotes a boundary between projects that are on the customer-retail side of an electric meter and projects that are on the utility-wholesale side of an electric meter. (Retail is above the line, wholesale is below the line). CALSEIA is encouraging state policy to open the market for 'distributed solar generation.' This type of project ...
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Emergency Response Guideline for PV
In 2007 and early 2008 CALSEIA worked with the California State Fire Marshal to develop an installation guideline to design and install PV systems so that fire crews have access on the roof to get to a roof ridge and to have space at the ridge to ventilate the building in the event this is necessary to perform a rescue. The link below will take you to the California State Fire Marhal's website. At that website you will find ...
