The Photo voltaic Vitality Industries Affiliation (SEIA) has submitted new feedback in response to the Federal Vitality Regulatory Fee’s (FERC) Discover of Proposed Rulemaking on interconnection reforms that may pace clear vitality deployment.
SEIA recommended FERC for taking preliminary steps on crucial reforms however mentioned that transmission suppliers, that are chargeable for connecting clear vitality initiatives to the grid, should assist scale back interconnection delays. Below the present guidelines, solely interconnection prospects face penalties. New incentives, closing dates and associated adjustments may assist to clear the interconnection backlog, which has swelled to greater than 1,000 GW of fresh electrical energy era and storage initiatives.
“Hundreds of renewable vitality initiatives are caught in interconnection queues throughout the nation, and with out good reforms, lots of them won’t ever see the sunshine of day,” says Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of SEIA. “These challenges will solely compound over the following decade as challenge builders goal to reap the benefits of the Inflation Discount Act (IRA). However they don’t seem to be insurmountable. FERC has an essential alternative so as to add extra accountability and transparency measures to an in any other case opaque course of that should change if we’re to appreciate the complete advantages of this landmark local weather regulation.”
The feedback, written by SEIA’s director of vitality markets and counsel, Melissa Alfano, name for transmission suppliers to provide extra upfront details about grid circumstances. This can allow builders to make extra environment friendly challenge siting choices, which might result in decrease community improve prices and in the end decrease prices to shoppers.
As a result of transmission homeowners will not be required to share data on grid circumstances, interconnection is essentially a blind course of for builders. Extra transparency round grid circumstances may treatment data gaps and allow builders to make extra knowledgeable choices all through the interconnection course of.
SEIA additionally harassed the significance of effectivity and supported the fee’s proposals to strengthen processes that will allow builders so as to add an vitality storage part to present initiatives or initiatives already within the interconnection queue. Vitality storage boosts grid reliability, and accelerating assessment for these initiatives would profit builders, transmission suppliers and ratepayers alike.
SEIA can also be urging FERC to drop its proposal for steep withdrawal penalties as a result of it may incentivize much less viable initiatives to remain within the interconnection queue and it unfairly penalizes builders for a course of that’s largely out of their management.
“Whereas we’re glad that FERC is taking motion on interconnection, we’re urging the fee to take a better have a look at its proposals to make sure there’s an equitable resolution for all events concerned,” Hopper says. “Over the following decade, interconnection reform will proceed to be a prime precedence for SEIA as we glance so as to add lots of of gigawatts of fresh vitality to the grid.”
SEIA Pushing for Grid Interconnection Reforms
The Photo voltaic Vitality Industries Affiliation (SEIA) has submitted new feedback in response to the Federal Vitality Regulatory Fee’s (FERC) Discover of Proposed Rulemaking on interconnection reforms that may pace clear vitality deployment.
SEIA recommended FERC for taking preliminary steps on crucial reforms however mentioned that transmission suppliers, that are chargeable for connecting clear vitality initiatives to the grid, should assist scale back interconnection delays. Below the present guidelines, solely interconnection prospects face penalties. New incentives, closing dates and associated adjustments may assist to clear the interconnection backlog, which has swelled to greater than 1,000 GW of fresh electrical energy era and storage initiatives.
“Hundreds of renewable vitality initiatives are caught in interconnection queues throughout the nation, and with out good reforms, lots of them won’t ever see the sunshine of day,” says Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of SEIA. “These challenges will solely compound over the following decade as challenge builders goal to reap the benefits of the Inflation Discount Act (IRA). However they don’t seem to be insurmountable. FERC has an essential alternative so as to add extra accountability and transparency measures to an in any other case opaque course of that should change if we’re to appreciate the complete advantages of this landmark local weather regulation.”
The feedback, written by SEIA’s director of vitality markets and counsel, Melissa Alfano, name for transmission suppliers to provide extra upfront details about grid circumstances. This can allow builders to make extra environment friendly challenge siting choices, which might result in decrease community improve prices and in the end decrease prices to shoppers.
As a result of transmission homeowners will not be required to share data on grid circumstances, interconnection is essentially a blind course of for builders. Extra transparency round grid circumstances may treatment data gaps and allow builders to make extra knowledgeable choices all through the interconnection course of.
SEIA additionally harassed the significance of effectivity and supported the fee’s proposals to strengthen processes that will allow builders so as to add an vitality storage part to present initiatives or initiatives already within the interconnection queue. Vitality storage boosts grid reliability, and accelerating assessment for these initiatives would profit builders, transmission suppliers and ratepayers alike.
SEIA can also be urging FERC to drop its proposal for steep withdrawal penalties as a result of it may incentivize much less viable initiatives to remain within the interconnection queue and it unfairly penalizes builders for a course of that’s largely out of their management.
“Whereas we’re glad that FERC is taking motion on interconnection, we’re urging the fee to take a better have a look at its proposals to make sure there’s an equitable resolution for all events concerned,” Hopper says. “Over the following decade, interconnection reform will proceed to be a prime precedence for SEIA as we glance so as to add lots of of gigawatts of fresh vitality to the grid.”
