CleanTechnica » VOST http://cleantechnica.com Clean Tech News & Views: Solar Energy News. Wind Energy News. EV News. & More. Tue, 30 Dec 2014 18:48:25 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=4.0.1 Austin Includes Energy Price Hedge Value In Solar Tariff http://cleantechnica.com/2014/10/24/austin-includes-energy-price-hedge-value-solar-tariff/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/10/24/austin-includes-energy-price-hedge-value-solar-tariff/#comments Fri, 24 Oct 2014 18:30:28 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=73919 Rocky Mountain Institute. Renewables scored a major victory recently in the natural gas heartland that is Texas. In a resolution adopted by the Austin City Council on August 28, the city declared solar energy its default generation resource, in part noting “that solar energy represents a cost-competitive means of securing clean peak power hedging against

Austin Includes Energy Price Hedge Value In Solar Tariff was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2014/10/24/austin-includes-energy-price-hedge-value-solar-tariff/feed/ 0 Solar & The Georgia Public Service Commission http://cleantechnica.com/2014/09/13/solar-georgia-public-service-commission/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/09/13/solar-georgia-public-service-commission/#comments Sat, 13 Sep 2014 08:19:10 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=71891 Solar has been taking off in Georgia. In fact, Georgia is ranked 7th for solar according to SEIA. However, solar continues to be an entertaining and sometimes confounding topic in Georgia. Join me as I interview former Georgia Public Service Commissioner Bobby Baker and we discuss the current hot topics at the Georgia Public Service

Solar & The Georgia Public Service Commission was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2014/09/13/solar-georgia-public-service-commission/feed/ 0 Cleantech News: Solar- & EV-Loving Tea Partier Podcast, Barcelona Solar, … http://cleantechnica.com/2014/08/13/cleantech-news-solar-ev-loving-tea-partier-podcast/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/08/13/cleantech-news-solar-ev-loving-tea-partier-podcast/#comments Wed, 13 Aug 2014 15:59:08 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=70414 Here’s another cleantech news roundup. I’m making it a short one since I’m *trying* to start doing these once a day again. Wish me luck! Cleantech News Pie (i.e. solar + EVs + other) I was interviewed for another podcast recently. The interesting thing about this one is that it is conducted by a libertarian,

Cleantech News: Solar- & EV-Loving Tea Partier Podcast, Barcelona Solar, … was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2014/08/13/cleantech-news-solar-ev-loving-tea-partier-podcast/feed/ 0 Are VOSTs Needed To End Subsidies To Non-Solar Customers? http://cleantechnica.com/2014/08/06/vosts-needed-end-subsidies-non-solar-customers/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/08/06/vosts-needed-end-subsidies-non-solar-customers/#comments Wed, 06 Aug 2014 23:00:47 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=70298 By Brian Orion Utilities across the country have been fighting to curtail net energy metering (NEM) programs in favor of value of solar tariff (VOST) programs, claiming that NEM results in a cost-shift to non-solar customers. However, NEM programs may actually undercompensate solar customers for the true value their systems provide, resulting in a substantial

Are VOSTs Needed To End Subsidies To Non-Solar Customers? was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2014/08/06/vosts-needed-end-subsidies-non-solar-customers/feed/ 7 VOST Pros & Cons http://cleantechnica.com/2014/05/26/vost-pros-cons/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/05/26/vost-pros-cons/#comments Mon, 26 May 2014 17:33:50 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=67329 Originally published on PV Solar Report. By Rosana Francescato Solar advocates around the country express varying views on the Value of Solar Tariff. Being proposed as an alternative to net metering, the policy has its pros and cons — but some worry that it imposes a tax on solar customers and gives too much control

VOST Pros & Cons was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2014/05/26/vost-pros-cons/feed/ 4 TalkSolar/CleanTechnica Podcast: Democratic Energy http://cleantechnica.com/2014/05/10/talksolarcleantechnica-podcast-democratic-energy/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/05/10/talksolarcleantechnica-podcast-democratic-energy/#comments Sat, 10 May 2014 10:32:30 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=66673 In this week’s TalkSolar/CleanTechnica podcast, Beth Bond chatted with John Farrell, Director of Democratic Energy at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. Regular readers are very familiar with John’s work, as he has been contributing on CleanTechnica since 2011. Nonetheless, it was great listening to John talk about distributed renewable energy benefits, net metering, value of solar tariffs, different

TalkSolar/CleanTechnica Podcast: Democratic Energy was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2014/05/10/talksolarcleantechnica-podcast-democratic-energy/feed/ 0 An Enormous Question for ‘Solar Choice’ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/04/14/enormous-question-solar-choice/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/04/14/enormous-question-solar-choice/#comments Mon, 14 Apr 2014 22:29:40 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=65403 Two weeks ago, Minnesota’s Public Utilities Commission ratified the first-ever statewide policy for setting a fair and transparent price on solar energy. This week, a coalition of companies that provide leasing contracts for solar to home and business customers declared war on this “value of solar” policy, and pretty much every financial model for compensating

An Enormous Question for ‘Solar Choice’ was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2014/04/14/enormous-question-solar-choice/feed/ 3 Can A Fair Solar Price Win Over Utilities? http://cleantechnica.com/2014/04/09/can-fair-solar-price-win-utilities/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/04/09/can-fair-solar-price-win-utilities/#comments Wed, 09 Apr 2014 15:15:40 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=65148 In March 2014, Minnesota became the first state to adopt a “value of solar” policy to set a fair, transparent price on solar energy. It may serve as a national precedent and fundamentally change the financial relationship between electric utilities and their energy-producing customers. So what will value of solar mean for utility customers producing

Can A Fair Solar Price Win Over Utilities? was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2014/04/09/can-fair-solar-price-win-utilities/feed/ 23 Value Of Solar Approaches Merit Our Support http://cleantechnica.com/2014/04/05/value-solar-approaches-merit-support/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/04/05/value-solar-approaches-merit-support/#comments Sat, 05 Apr 2014 15:30:54 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=64922 By Karl R. Rábago Value of Solar analysis and the Value of Solar Tariff adopted in Austin, Texas and Minnesota are promising developments in solar utility rates. These ideas can break the cycle of attacks on rooftop solar and deserve the support of the solar industry, utilities, and others who want to see a future with

Value Of Solar Approaches Merit Our Support was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2014/04/05/value-solar-approaches-merit-support/feed/ 4 VOSTs Don’t FIT With Our Energy Future http://cleantechnica.com/2014/04/02/vosts-dont-fit-energy-future/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/04/02/vosts-dont-fit-energy-future/#comments Wed, 02 Apr 2014 17:31:21 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=64793 After suffering nine stinging defeats over the past year and a half, big utilities seem to have learned that trying to stop the rooftop solar revolution by killing net energy metering is like standing in the way of a runaway freight train. That’s because everyone from legislators to lobbyists to consumers can clearly see the

VOSTs Don’t FIT With Our Energy Future was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2014/04/02/vosts-dont-fit-energy-future/feed/ 19 Is A Value Of Solar Tariff (VOST) Really Better Than Net Metering? http://cleantechnica.com/2014/03/29/value-solar-tariff-vost-formula-benefits-solar/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/03/29/value-solar-tariff-vost-formula-benefits-solar/#comments Sat, 29 Mar 2014 12:00:13 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=64508 Originally published on SolarWakeup. By Yann Brandt Value of solar tariffs, also known as VOSTs, have hit some level of critical mass; at least with public perception and media. The question to ask yourself, as I did; do you know what a value of solar tariff is? Why does it exist? And should you like

Is A Value Of Solar Tariff (VOST) Really Better Than Net Metering? was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2014/03/29/value-solar-tariff-vost-formula-benefits-solar/feed/ 12 Could Minnesota’s “Value of Solar” Make Everyone a Winner? http://cleantechnica.com/2014/03/17/minnesotas-value-solar-make-everyone-winner/ http://cleantechnica.com/2014/03/17/minnesotas-value-solar-make-everyone-winner/#comments Mon, 17 Mar 2014 22:44:08 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=63984 On Wednesday, Minnesota became the first state to allow utilities a new method of contracting with distributed solar producers, called the market-based “value of solar.” If adopted by utilities, it will fundamentally change the relationship between solar-producing customers and their electric utility. Following Minnesota’s Value of Solar Process? Here are a few resources: Part 1

Could Minnesota’s “Value of Solar” Make Everyone a Winner? was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2014/03/17/minnesotas-value-solar-make-everyone-winner/feed/ 6 Xcel Energy — 2-Faced On Value Of Solar Power http://cleantechnica.com/2013/10/28/xcel-energy-2-faced-value-solar-power/ http://cleantechnica.com/2013/10/28/xcel-energy-2-faced-value-solar-power/#comments Tue, 29 Oct 2013 00:01:40 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=58336 Two weeks ago, I listened – incredulously – to Minnesota’s largest utility, Xcel Energy, suggest that solar energy offers its ratepayers no value as an environmental hedge against carbon emissions or as a price hedge against natural gas fuel price fluctuations. See and share the infographic related to this post But just three days later,

Xcel Energy — 2-Faced On Value Of Solar Power was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2013/10/28/xcel-energy-2-faced-value-solar-power/feed/ 3 What Is Solar Worth To A Utility? http://cleantechnica.com/2013/09/30/solar-worth-utility/ http://cleantechnica.com/2013/09/30/solar-worth-utility/#comments Mon, 30 Sep 2013 16:00:23 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=57070 It’s an issue of national debate, but one unexpected state – Minnesota – is engaging in a formal process for determining the methodology for setting the value of solar. As the first multi-utility process, it’s likely to set a precedent nationwide for what the “value of solar” will mean and whether it will aid the

What Is Solar Worth To A Utility? was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2013/09/30/solar-worth-utility/feed/ 0 US Solar Feed-in Tariff & Value Of Solar Tariff Beneficiaries May Face More Taxes http://cleantechnica.com/2013/08/26/us-solar-feed-in-tariff-value-of-solar-tariff-beneficiaries-may-face-more-taxes/ http://cleantechnica.com/2013/08/26/us-solar-feed-in-tariff-value-of-solar-tariff-beneficiaries-may-face-more-taxes/#comments Mon, 26 Aug 2013 20:00:13 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=55643 Originally published on Solar Love under the title, “Tax Threat To Solar Homeowners With Feed-in Tariffs or Value Of Solar Tariffs.” Quite a big deal for US solar policy, solar companies, and even many current solar PV system owners, a solar advocacy organization that is defending net metering in Arizona has discovered that feed-in tariffs

US Solar Feed-in Tariff & Value Of Solar Tariff Beneficiaries May Face More Taxes was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2013/08/26/us-solar-feed-in-tariff-value-of-solar-tariff-beneficiaries-may-face-more-taxes/feed/ 7 Sunrun Supports Net Metering, Not Feed-in Tariffs or Value Of Solar Tariffs http://cleantechnica.com/2013/08/26/sunrun-supports-net-metering-not-feed-in-tariffs-or-value-of-solar-tariffs/ http://cleantechnica.com/2013/08/26/sunrun-supports-net-metering-not-feed-in-tariffs-or-value-of-solar-tariffs/#comments Mon, 26 Aug 2013 19:00:21 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=55642 [Important Update] Also see: Tax Threat To Solar Homeowners With Feed-in Tariffs or Value Of Solar Tariffs Originally published on Solar Love. It’s well known that feed-in tariffs have supported most solar power growth across the world. It’s also well known that very few places in the US offer a solar feed-in tariff (FiT). I was

Sunrun Supports Net Metering, Not Feed-in Tariffs or Value Of Solar Tariffs was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2013/08/26/sunrun-supports-net-metering-not-feed-in-tariffs-or-value-of-solar-tariffs/feed/ 4 Top 50 Solar Energy Stories Of The Year (Part Five: #41-50) http://cleantechnica.com/2013/06/03/top-50-solar-energy-stories-of-the-year-part-five-41-50/ http://cleantechnica.com/2013/06/03/top-50-solar-energy-stories-of-the-year-part-five-41-50/#comments Mon, 03 Jun 2013 14:00:55 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=52382 (If you’ve read the intro 4 times already, just skip to the final 10 articles.) We’re trying to get more solar energy stories going over on Planetsave. To catch readers up, I’m doing a short series on the top 50 solar energy stories of 2013 so far. Learning from the Top 33 EV Stories article I recently published,

Top 50 Solar Energy Stories Of The Year (Part Five: #41-50) was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2013/06/03/top-50-solar-energy-stories-of-the-year-part-five-41-50/feed/ 0 3 Best Things Minnesota Just Did For Solar http://cleantechnica.com/2013/05/30/3-best-things-minnesota-just-did-for-solar/ http://cleantechnica.com/2013/05/30/3-best-things-minnesota-just-did-for-solar/#comments Thu, 30 May 2013 10:00:47 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=52255 Editor’s note: The great article below continues the Minnesota focus we’ve had lately. It also gets into Value of Solar tariffs (VOSTs), which I’ve covered a few times (full CleanTechnica archives here) and am planning to come back to in a big way, as well as other fun solar topics. Thanks to Adam James and Climate Progress

3 Best Things Minnesota Just Did For Solar was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2013/05/30/3-best-things-minnesota-just-did-for-solar/feed/ 4 Three Unequal Choices For A Local (Renewable) Energy Future http://cleantechnica.com/2013/04/22/three-unequal-choices-for-a-local-renewable-energy-future/ http://cleantechnica.com/2013/04/22/three-unequal-choices-for-a-local-renewable-energy-future/#comments Mon, 22 Apr 2013 19:28:11 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=50967 Earth Day highlights the need for a sustainable energy future, and experience suggests that there are only three meaningful choices for communities trying to increase local control of a greener energy future. But the three policies – deregulation (“customer choice”), municipal aggregation (“city choice”), and municipal utilities (“city ownership”) – are not equal.  Two recent

Three Unequal Choices For A Local (Renewable) Energy Future was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2013/04/22/three-unequal-choices-for-a-local-renewable-energy-future/feed/ 0 The “Value Of Solar” Could Be Worth Much More Than Austin Energy Pays http://cleantechnica.com/2013/02/21/the-value-of-solar-could-be-worth-much-more-than-austin-energy-pays/ http://cleantechnica.com/2013/02/21/the-value-of-solar-could-be-worth-much-more-than-austin-energy-pays/#comments Thu, 21 Feb 2013 09:00:26 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=48630 I recently wrote a long post on the idea of using a “value of solar” policy instead of various types of government incentives for solar. Much of that post was based on research conducted by Clean Power Research for Austin Energy — so that Austin Energy could implement a Value of Solar policy (which it

The “Value Of Solar” Could Be Worth Much More Than Austin Energy Pays was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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