State Solar Technical Assistance
NREL provides direct technical assistance to state and local governments on matters that require solar market expertise to either answer a time-sensitive question or to provide expert testimony on policy best practices. The Solar Technical Assistance Team (STAT) Network is designed to answer questions that require approximately one to two weeks of a subject matter expert's time.
This service is available to qualified applicants through an application process at no cost. To request assistance through the STAT Network, fill out the request form and email this information to stat@nrel.gov.
Projects
Three organizations were selected to receive expertise from the Solar Technical Assistance Team (STAT) Network to address critical questions and challenges to making their states more solar friendly.
Illinois Office of Energy & Recycling
The STAT Network will help the Illinois Office of Energy & Recycling to better understand how solar PV deployment can stimulate economic development in Illinois.
The STAT Network and Illinois will explore solar policy scenarios and their impact on solar deployment and economic development. This new analysis will employ NREL's Distributed Generation and Market Demand (dGen) and Jobs and Economic Development Impact (JEDI) models. Results from this project will be shared at the National Association of State Energy Officials' (NASEO) 2016 annual meeting Sept. 11-14 in Providence, R.I.
New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA)
The STAT Network also will be partnering with NYSERDA to better understand soft costs related to financing, specifically in New York. NREL will provide a summary of solar project financing models and mechanisms available to residential and commercial solar markets with a focus on three primary financial models: loans, power purchase agreements, and cash purchase.
This project supports the NY-Sun, which is part of the governor's initiative to improve the efficiency, affordability, and reliability of energy systems in New York State. Launched in 2012, NY-Sun aims to add more than 3 gigawatts of installed solar capacity in the state by 2023.
Nevada Governor's Office of Energy
In Nevada, the STAT Network will provide a range of support on solar technology deployment and economic development issues. These projects include reviewing a "Green Bank" study commissioned by the Nevada Governor's Office of Energy, providing a summary of the major findings from feed-in-tariff analyses and renewable portfolio standards trends, and participating in Nevada's New Energy Industry Task Force meetings.
The Governor's Office of Energy oversees energy programs required through statute and those that help to meet the mission of the office, which is to ensure the wise development of Nevada's energy resources in harmony with local community economic needs and Nevada natural resources.
The STAT Network is a project of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) SunShot Initiative implemented in partnership with the NREL and with assistance from National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) and the Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA).
Past Projects
City of Detroit | Detroit, MI
NREL is conducting an analysis of utility scale PV projects for the City.
City of Madison | Madison, WI
NREL is advising the city on financial models for using large, municipally owned sites such as water and sewer facilities to spur deployment of PV under Wisconsin's current utility rate structure.
City University of New York | New York, NY
NREL is providing engineering and technical assistance to create a request for proposals (RFP) to install a smart and resilient PV system at Queens College.
Denver Housing Authority | Denver, CO
NREL is providing technical assistance on how solar PV can be incorporated into a net zero energy housing development.
Ketchum Energy Advisory Committee (KEAC) | Ketchum, ID
NREL is partnering with Optony to help Ketchum develop a solar resource roadmap and to identify PV deployment potential for distributed and small utility-scale solar projects. NREL is also reviewing lease and PPA documents for solar projects on municipal facilities as well as providing assistance to the city on the proposed PPA rulings at the Idaho Public Utilities Commission.
Lansing Board of Water & Light | Lansing, MI
NREL is partnering with the Solar Electric Power Association to assist the municipal utility with incorporating solar into its integrated resource planning.
Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DER)| Boston, MA
NREL is providing technical expertise for the DER energy integration and system planning support process to increase PV penetration.
Oregon Department of Energy | Bend, OR
NREL is working to develop a tool that can analyze state-specific solar soft costs from various data sources, which can consistently evaluate soft-cost reduction measures and prioritize future actions.
Utah Public Service Commission | Salt Lake City, UT
NREL reviewed a utility study on solar and wind capacity contributions to determine whether the methodology applied followed an NREL published methodology.
New York Power Authority | White Plains, NY
NREL presented a webinar on financing options for solar on schools for the NYPA's K-Solar program in March 2015.
Connecticut Green Bank | Rocky Hill, CT
NREL provided consultation on calculating a value of solar rate for the state based on the seven attributes outlined in the 2014 report, "Methods for Analyzing the Benefits and Costs of Distributed Photovoltaic Generation to the U.S. Electric Utility System."
The STAT Network is a project of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) SunShot Initiative that is implemented in partnership with NREL.
