A new report analyzes which states are best, and worst, at interconnection, one of the most important and challenging aspects of the energy transition.
Interconnection is one of the most important, yet thorniest, aspects of the energy transition. A new report aimed to rank which states are best, and worst, at tying new clean energy resources to the grid.
The Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) and the advocacy group Vote Solar graded all 50 states, as well as Washington, DC and Puerto Rico, based on their distributed energy resource (DER) interconnection policies.
Likely surprising no one involved in interconnection, the class of ‘A’ and ‘B’ grades is a slender one.
“The 2023 Freeing the Grid interconnection grades make clear that a majority of states have significant room for improvement in their interconnection procedures,” IREC CEO Larry Sherwood said. “Without improvements to align with new best practices that have emerged over the last several years, state interconnection policies are likely to be a barrier to the efficient and affordable growth of DERs, holding back the pace at which clean energy and climate goals can be met.”
JOIN US: The Interstate Renewable Energy Council is a partner for the GridTECH Connect Forum – Northeast, a regional event focused on distributed energy resource interconnection. Save the date and join us in Newport, Rhode Island Oct. 23-25.
The grades are based on ten categories of criteria, including cost, efficiency, transparency, and the technologies eligible to interconnect.
New Mexico’s ‘A’ grade was earned by providing rule applicability, incorporation of IEEE 1547-2018 and export provisions, streamlined review, technical screens, modifications, specified timelines, data sharing, and outlined interconnection costs and requirements. The state failed in two categories: Supplemental review screens and dispute resolution.
Of the 39 states and territories that have statewide interconnection procedures, only one state, New Mexico, received an ‘A’ for its interconnection rules. An additional 6 states (Arizona, California, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Michigan, and New York) received Bs.
Another 13 states have not adopted statewide interconnection rules and received “F” grades (Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Wyoming).
Subscribe today to the all-new Factor This! podcast from Renewable Energy World. This podcast is designed specifically for the solar industry and is available wherever you get your podcasts.
The grades do not reflect interconnection provisions included in non-statewide interconnection rules, such as public utility commission orders that have not been formally adopted in the rules or individual utility technical documents.
The state grades included in Freeing the Grid are intended to assist policymakers and other stakeholders with identifying policy best practices for enabling the rapid growth of DERs. They also provide a basis for states to benchmark their existing policies against those adopted in other states.
