Copyright 2019, The Energy Show - Barry Cinnamon

Time to put on your thinking caps and connect the dots on these topics:

- Net Metering

- Solar Investment Tax Credit

- Property Assessed Clean Energy or PACE

- Renewable Portfolio Standards and RECs

- State Rebates such as SGIP and State Tax Credits

OK, what’s the common thread? Answer: these are all examples of successful public policies that help the solar industry thrive.

These policies did not organically spring from the minds of our wise legislators. Instead, they all originated from solar industry policy experts. These policies were implemented by legislators and regulators because the economic benefits to consumers (both business and residential) were compelling. To help us understand how good solar policies are created, my special guest on this week’s Energy Show is Anne Hoskins, Chief Policy Officer for SunRun.

If you don’t know SunRun, they are the largest residential solar and storage provider in the US. I was happy to be one of SunRun’s earliest partners when they started about a dozen years ago. SunRun has grown significantly since then, and now Anne has her hands full with solar policies in over 23 states, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Prior to SunRun, Anne was a Commissioner at the Maryland Public Utilities Commission.

Please listen up to this week’s Energy Show as we talk with Anne about some of the most important solar policies that improve the economics for residential and commercial solar installations. And if your business is in any way related to the solar industry, you should give serious consideration to joining your state solar organization (such as the California Solar and Storage Association) or national Solar Energy Industries Association.