Solar and Renewable Energy Policy

Catalog description

Learn the essential elements of solar photovoltaic (PV), wind, and energy storage integration and policy. Explore increasing renewable energy penetration on the grid, changes to net-metering policies, remote/virtual net metering, curtailment, grid stability, and utility company operational structure. Topics include federal renewable energy policy including the Clean Power Plan, the Investment Tax Credit (ITC) and Production Tax Credit (PTC), EPA regulations, the Paris Climate Agreement, and Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS). State-level policy in Nevada, Florida, New York, California, Hawaii, and Arizona is emphasized. Additional topics include utility, commercial, and residential scale solar; financial/ownership structures including third party, leases, power purchase agreements, and yield cost; comparative cost of energy (LCOE) for alternative energy technologies versus conventional generation; the effect of oil and natural gas prices on renewable energy growth; future energy demands; grid-tied and off-grid systems; site assessment; user demand; safety; environmental concerns; and costs. Discuss sizing, designing, installing, and maintaining systems. Wind farm-specific topics include offshore versus onshore sites, vertical axis versus traditional wind turbines, and fabrication and logistical challenges. Energy storage-specific topics will focus on battery storage with regards to different chemistry types, deployment, backup power, demand response, peak shaving, and frequency regulation.