Last month's InterSolar conference in San Francisco, drew solar professionals, like Joe Wiedman, Keyes, Fox & Wiedman, LLP, who spoke on a net metering panel, and was interviewed by Renewable Energy World's Jennifer Runyon.  I had the opportunity to give a talk on the Solar Instructor Training Network at a Solar 3.0 Worskshop.

Our Annual Meeting is just six weeks out.  Jane Weissman, IREC's Executive Director, will take a high-altitude look at the IREC of today and make some predictions for what's ahead.  Keynote speakers include Navigant's Paula Mints, and Vote Solar's Adam Browning. Updates from the IREC team, Laurel Varnado on Freeing the Grid, and Andrea Luecke from The Solar Foundation, plus our 2012 Innovation and Special Recognition Awardees will round out the day.  If you're coming to our Annual Meeting on Monday, perhaps that means you'll be in Orlando on Sunday, just in time for our 30th Birthday party.  Come help us blow out the candles on our cake.  

Freeing the Grid (FTG), the national report card on states' net metering and interconnection procedures, is now available as a very exciting and clever interactive web tool. Produced by IREC and Vote Solar, in partnership with the North Carolina Solar Center, which manages the DSIRE database, the new web version features an interactive US map that can be filtered by year, policy and key program characteristics, and an animated intro to policies.

A limited number of spaces are available for exhibitors to showcase their company, organization or programs to some 500 renewable energy and energy efficiency educators expected at the fifth Clean Energy Workforce Education Conference, November 14-15 in Albany, NY.  Check out the Exhibitors Prospectus for details. 

IREC's latest report, Sharing Success: Emerging Approaches to Efficient Rooftop Solar Permitting looks at the three main methods of submitting and processing permit applications and highlights innovations from San Jose; Honolulu; and Portland, OR to expedite review.  Authored by Sky Stanfield, Erica Schroeder, and Thad Culley of Keyes, Fox & Wiedman LLP, it was the topic of a recent ICLEI Solar webinar. 

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI), coordinator of the U.S. voluntary standardization system, and IREC recently announced the four candidate organizations that are currently participating in the ANSI-IREC pilot accreditation program for energy efficiency and renewable energy certificate training programs.

Finally, last month, we launched IREC News, a weekly bundling of short, late-breaking news items from IREC.   Because so much is happening, we thought it was a good idea to consolidate the number of news releases and notices you receive from us.  We'll still publish our other newsletters, like this one, but when you see IREC News, know that there's something in it we want to bring to your attention right away. 

Until we see each other again, perhaps in Orlando, here's to your continually inspiring work.