Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC)

We’re excited to announce the launch of a new #electricvehicle readiness program: Charging Smart! Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Charging Smart offers free technical assistance to local governments interested in adopting EV-friendly policies. From zoning updates to #EV incentives and beyond, our expert team is on hand to help you shepherd in the carbon-free future in your community. Learn more and get started at https://lnkd.in/eXgmsHJd! 🚘⚡

Nine of local governments in Minnesota have been awarded the very first #ChargingSmart electric vehicle (EV)-friendly designations in America. Congratulations to City of Hopkins, La Crescent, City of Eden Prairie, City of Falcon Heights, City of Faribault, City of Inver Grove Heights, City of Oakdale, Minnesota, City of Roseville, MN, and St. James, Minnesota. Working with Great Plains Institute and other Charging Smart partners, these local governments adopted nationally recognized best practices to remove barriers to EVs and increase the growth of clean transportation in the community. Want to be one of the first designees in your state? Join this U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-funded program at www.ChargingSmart.org!

We interviewed real professionals working in various #weatherization roles across the U.S., asking them why they chose weatherization and why they love what they do. Meet Paul Amos, Weatherization Tech with Coastal Georgia Area Community Action Authority Inc. Get started on your career now by going to GreenWorkforceConnect.org!

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Solar Energy Technologies Office featured IREC's Building a Technically Reliable Interconnection Evolution for Storage (BATRIES) project in a new success story! In 2019, DOE awarded IREC a grant to address standalone energy storage and solar-plus-storage interconnection challenges on the distribution grid. IREC's BATRIES team identified nearly 40 areas of improvement, then narrowed that list down to eight barriers to address during the three-year project. The team published best practices and technical solutions in the BATRIES toolkit and trained more than 500 individuals in 42 states in free virtual workshops and trainings. Several states, including Michigan, New Mexico, and Vermont, have already adopted best practices from the BATRIES toolkit. California recently joined this group as well, adopting the first interconnection rules in the nation that allow clean energy developers to specify an operating schedule that will be used in the interconnection process as the basis for determining whether a system can connect without the need for grid upgrades. Read more: https://lnkd.in/esmePSTX

Municipalities and building owners both play a key role in safely deploying electric vehicle chargers. If you are a building owner or manager of multi-unit dwellings (MUDs), explore our free resource on the basic requirements associated with installing electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE): https://lnkd.in/e_Pf26tc. If you are a member of municipal staff, check out our guidance document: Planning and Zoning for Electric Vehicle Charger Deployment, which provides local code officials with clear guidelines and recommendations on common planning and zoning challenges: https://lnkd.in/gyRYcVik.

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 1547™-2018 Standard (IEEE 1547-2018) is a technical standard that establishes how distributed energy resources (DERs)—like solar and energy storage—can connect to the grid. IREC is excited to announce the release of our new IEEE 1547™-2018 Adoption Tracker, which provides regulators, utility staff, and other DER stakeholders with visibility into which jurisdictions have adopted the IEEE 1547-2018 standard. Explore it now at https://lnkd.in/gGT4DeQy!

We are a proud Community Partner for the Getting to Zero Forum, held on May 21-23, 2024, in Charlotte, NC, and hosted by New Buildings Institute and RMI! The 2024 Getting to Zero Forum is the premiere event with a broad cross-section of stakeholders focused on ambitious building efficiency goals. It is an ideal venue for organizing both policy and building communities to achieve zero-carbon ambitions. Register for #GTZForum2024 today: https://lnkd.in/gDfyEEAE! #GettingToZero #GTZForum2024 #BuildingDecarbonization #ZeroCarbonEmissions #ZeroEnergyBuildings

Join us at ASES Solar 2024: Connecting Policy & Technology on May 20-23 in Washington, D.C.! IREC's Larry Sherwood and Cynthia Finley will speak on the "Workforce Transformation Panel: Re-training & Empowering a Diverse Workforce." This panel will explore methods for re-training and empowering a diverse workforce within the solar energy sector. Panelists will discuss initiatives aimed at enhancing skills, promoting inclusivity, and fostering career advancement opportunities to drive innovation and accelerate the clean energy industry. Learn more & register: https://lnkd.in/g7ucu8R!

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Solar Energy Technologies Office featured IREC's Building a Technically Reliable Interconnection Evolution for Storage (BATRIES) project in a new success story! In 2019, DOE awarded IREC a grant to address standalone energy storage and solar-plus-storage interconnection challenges on the distribution grid. IREC's BATRIES team identified nearly 40 areas of improvement, then narrowed that list down to eight barriers to address during the three-year project. The team published best practices and technical solutions in the BATRIES toolkit and trained more than 500 individuals in 42 states in free virtual workshops and trainings. Several states, including Michigan, New Mexico, and Vermont, have already adopted best practices from the BATRIES toolkit. California recently joined this group as well, adopting the first interconnection rules in the nation that allow clean energy developers to specify an operating schedule that will be used in the interconnection process as the basis for determining whether a system can connect without the need for grid upgrades. Read more: https://lnkd.in/esmePSTX

We are excited to announce a new opportunity for solar energy installers and other Puerto Rico businesses! With support from the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez, IREC is publishing a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the Puerto Rico Resilience Hubs project, which was recently announced by Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm. The project will include the installation of five solar systems at five energy resilience centers in Puerto Rico, including the design and installation of up to 5 kW of photovoltaic capacity with 13 kWh of energy storage at each center. All responses must be submitted by May 29. Join us for a webinar on May 6 to learn more about the RFP. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gYpP68Bm!