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Solar ABCs Newsletter
| June 2010
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Greetings!
Greetings! Welcome to the June newsletter for the Solar America Board
for Codes and Standards (Solar ABCs). The Solar ABCs Newsletter provides the latest news and
information about solar codes and standard achievements, announcements, and
events. If you are interested in playing an active role in
discussion, debate, and the preparation of position statements and policies,
contact me and let me know your interest. Also contact me if you have any
suggestions for future newsletters or any other comments for Solar ABCs. The Solar ABCs is a collaborative effort among experts to
formally gather and prioritize input from the broad spectrum of solar
photovoltaic stakeholders including policy makers, manufacturers, installers,
and consumers resulting in coordinated recommendations to codes and standards
making bodies for existing and new solar technologies. The U.S. Department of
Energy funds Solar ABCs as part of its commitment to facilitate widespread
adoption of safe, reliable, and cost-effective solar technologies. For more
information, visit solarbcs.org.
Sincerely,  Larry Sherwood
Project Administrator
Solar America Board for Codes and Standards
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AMI White Paper Published
 The Solar ABCs recently published a new white paper entitled
Potential Impacts of Advanced Metering Infrastructure on Renewable Energy
Policy. The white paper provides an overview of Advanced Metering
Infrastructure (AMI) and also identifies possible impacts on renewable energy
policy and the integration of renewable energy generation into the electric
utility grid. AMI allows the
utility to communicate with the customer, the customer to communicate with the
utility and, in many cases, allows the utility to gain rapid feedback on the
condition of and events occurring on its electric grid. This two-way communication of AMI has
the potential to change the way that electricity is generated, transmitted, and
ultimately used. Download the Full Report.
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Solar ABCs Stakeholder Meeting
October 15, 2010, 8am - 12:30pm, Los Angeles, California
Join us for the Solar America Board for Codes and Standards
annual 2010 Stakeholder Meeting in Los Angeles, California on October 15,
2010. This meeting is free to
attend and is conveniently scheduled during the Solar Power International
2010's post-conference workshops. Plan to attend and receive an overview of:
· Current
local, national and international PV codes and standards issues
· Study
reports under development
· Implementation
achievements
· Opportunities
for involvement
Click here for registration. The complete agenda will also be posted at this site when it is available.
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Solar ABCs Standard Policy Recommendation Briefing
Dr. (Mani) Govindasamy TamizhMani will provide a briefing of
the Solar ABCs new policy recommendation addressing the use of qualification
and reliability standards for photovoltaic (PV) modules to members of the Clean
Energy States Alliance (CESA). The
recommendation is for the U.S. to adopt three international standards that
establish quality manufacturing standards. Currently, there is no qualification
or reliability testing required for PV modules in the U.S. marketplace. As a result, the U.S. marketplace may
be flooded with lower quality PV modules. CESA is a nonprofit organization comprised of
members from 16 clean energy funds and two state agencies; it provides
information and technical services to its members and works with them to build
and expand clean energy markets in the United States.
Click here for more information on the Solar ABCs Policy Recommendation.
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ICC Approves Changes to International Fire Code for Photovoltaics
The International Code Council recently approved the
proposed changes to the International Fire Code (IFC) for photovoltaics. The changes will be incorporated into the 2013 IFC. Read the approved IFC PV changes.
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NREL High Penetration PV Workshop
Effectively interconnecting
high-level penetration of photovoltaic (PV) systems requires careful technical
attention to ensuring compatibility with electric power systems. Standards,
codes, and implementation have been cited as major impediments to widespread
use of PV within electric power systems in the United States. On May 20, 2010, in Denver, Colorado,
the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, in conjunction with the U.S.
Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
(EERE), held a workshop to examine the key technical issues and barriers
associated with high PV penetration levels. You can download the presentations from that meeting.
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IEEE 1547 Interconnection Standards Series Meetings
August 10-13, 2010, San Francisco
The next meeting of IEEE Standards Coordinating Committee 21 (SCC21) Working Group for P1547.7 - Draft Guide to
Conducting Distribution Impact Studies for Distributed Resource Interconnection is being held August 10-11, 2010 at the Marriott San Francisco,
55 4th Street, San Francisco, California. Additionally, the inaugural meeting of the
newly-formed SCC21 P1547.8 Working Group to provide supplemental support for
expanded use of IEEE Std 1547 will be held at the same location on August
12-13, 2010. Click here for additional information.
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PV/Storage Inverter Communication Project Interest Group
The PV/Storage Inverter Communication Project Interest Group
held a workshop in Denver, Colorado on May 21, 2010. The focus of this project is on developing a specification
for the local communication interface to grid-tied PV and/or electric storage
systems. The scope includes
widespread small and large-scale systems, and is limited to the communications
necessary for integrating these distributed resources with utility distribution
management or Distributed Energy Resource programs. Read the full report on the May 21, 2010 meeting.
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On-line Permit System
Burnham Nationwide, Inc launched Simply Permits, its online
permitting solution, at the SolarTech Challenge in April 2010. Simply Permits was devised following
guidelines recommended by Solar ABCs to help municipalities standardize the solar
permit process. The online solution allows solar permit applicants to apply for
permits, submit and purchase said permits online. Burnham partnered with Aspen, CO to develop a beta solar
permitting website to debut at the SolarTech Challenge. For more information, please visit Burnham's Website.
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International Green Construction Code - comment hearings in August
The International Code Council (ICC) will be holding public
comment hearings on Version 1.0 of the International Green Construction Code
(IGCC) starting August 14, 2010 through August 22, 2010 in Rosemont,
Illinois. The IGCC Version 1.0 was
developed as a model code under the "IGCC: Safe and Sustainable by the Book"
initiative. Version 1.0 outlines a new set of green codes aimed at providing
mandatory green building requirements for new and existing commercial
buildings. The time for public comment on Version 1.0 expired on May 14, 2010.
However, the public comments will be posted on July 2, 2010. Public comment hearings will be held on
August 14 and 22, 2010. Click here to register and for more information.
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IAMPO - Uniform Solar Energy Code
Code proposals for 2012 revision due in August
Code proposals for the IAPMO
Uniform Solar Energy Code (USEC) 2012 revisions are due August 2, 2010. The USEC is a model code developed by IAPMO to govern the
installation and inspection of solar energy systems as a means of promoting the
public's health, safety and welfare. Click here for the code proposal form, instructions, and background information.
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SunSpec Alliance Releases Standard for Comment
SunSpec Alliance has released the first set of
specifications for proposed monitoring and reporting equipment data standards
on renewable energy systems for public comment. SunSpec is a group of renewable energy stakeholders focused
on defining standards to accelerate the renewable energy industry. The goal of this first set of
specifications entitled Modbus Specification is to create a common language that all renewable energy component
manufacturers can adhere to in order to enable interoperability amongst all
compliant technologies. Ultimately, this newly proposed specification is aimed
to remove barriers that currently prevent the industry from being able to
integrate distributed PV power generation systems cost-effectively and on a
large-scale basis. Click here for more information or to provide your comments.
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