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Radina Valova

Radina Valova

As Vice President of IREC’s Regulatory Program, Radina Valova provides strategic direction and oversight of IREC’s regulatory team. Radina comes to IREC with seven years of experience in energy and climate law and policy, with a focus on the electric and gas utility sectors, utility transformation, and a just transition to a decarbonized economy for underserved and disadvantaged communities. Prior to joining IREC, Radina served as Senior Staff Attorney and Regulatory Affairs Manager for the Pace Energy and Climate Center in White Plains, New York, where she led the Center’s engagement in New York’s Reforming the Energy Vision, developed policy solutions for decarbonizing the buildings sector, and pushed for clean and affordable energy for low- and moderate-income communities. Radina is a graduate of the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University, with JD Certificates in Environmental and International Law, and an LL.M. in Land Use and Sustainable Development. She teaches Energy Law at Pace and has a strong commitment to training the next generation of energy and climate advocates.
Gwen Brown

Gwen Brown

As Vice President of Communications at the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC), Gwen oversees communications and outreach to increase awareness of IREC’s work to build the foundation for rapid adoption of clean energy and energy efficiency. This work spans regulatory engagement to allow more communities to benefit from clean, renewable energy; workforce development strategies to build a highly-trained and inclusive clean energy workforce; and local initiatives to support communities in bringing clean energy and energy efficiency to their residents and businesses. Prior to joining the IREC team, Gwen was one of the first marketing hires at (then-startup) Aurora Solar, a software firm working to reduce the cost of residential and commercial solar through remote site analysis and PV design. In this role, she led the creation of educational content for solar professionals—including blog articles and webinars. Earlier in her career, Gwen was a Senior Research Associate at the Environmental Law Institute and a Fellow with the Clean Energy Leadership Institute. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Gettysburg College and resides in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband.
Katie Kienbaum

Katie Kienbaum

Katie Kienbaum is a Senior Researcher with ILSR’s Energy Democracy initiative, where she researches and writes about equitable and decentralized clean energy and its impact on communities across the country. Before joining the Energy Democracy initiative, she was a Research Associate with the Community Broadband Networks initiative.
Robin Dutta

Robin Dutta

Robin Dutta has been the Campaign Director for Local Solar for All since 2022, where he engages with policymakers on how local clean energy solutions—like distributed solar and storage—unlock electric grid savings and the lowest cost path to a 100% clean energy grid. Immediately prior, Robin worked on SunPower Corporation’s Policy & Strategy team, focusing on both state and federal solar and storage issues. He has been advocating for local solar, battery storage, and consumers’ improved energy security for over a decade. A native of New Jersey, Robin currently resides in Washington, D.C.
State Interconnection Rules: Why We Need Effective Interconnection Policies for Local Clean Energy

State Interconnection Rules: Why We Need Effective Interconnection Policies for Local Clean Energy

Date & Time

September 21, 2023 @ 11:00 am - 12:00 pm EDT

Duration

1 Hour

CEU

A certificate of attendance will be offered

View On Demand

State interconnection rules are some of the most important, but least talked about, policies for enabling our clean energy and climate goals—in addition to offering consumer, economic, and other benefits. These policies govern the processes, timelines, costs, and technical requirements to connect local clean energy systems (also called distributed energy resources, or DERs) to the electric grid safely and reliably. This panel discussion brings together clean energy experts to explore the critical nature of state interconnection rules and examine the best practices that characterize effective practices for DER interconnection. It will also highlight a new communications campaign that makes it easy for stakeholders of all types to learn about this topic and educate others. Attendees of this webinar will learn:
  • what state interconnection rules are,
  • why these policies are so important, and
  • the key characteristics of effective state interconnection rules based on the latest best practices for connecting local clean energy to the electric grid.
In addition, attendees will hear about the #StateInterconnectionRules campaign and how they can get involved. This broad and inclusive communications campaign, running through November 9, 2023, compiles resources to learn about state interconnection policies and amplify their importance in support of a clean energy future.  

Panel of Experts

Radina Valova

Radina Valova

Gwen Brown

Gwen Brown

Katie Kienbaum

Katie Kienbaum

Robin Dutta

Robin Dutta