Grow Solar - A Midwest Partnership to Move Markets

A major part of the promotion of expansion and acceptance of renewable energy sources is the growth of profitable markets in the sector. A network of groups, both public and private, has been established with the aim of achieving this goal. Grow Solar () was initially founded in 2012 to reduce permit costs and provide financing for photovoltaic systems in Wisconsin, and has since expanded and is connected a network of partners from surrounding states. Grow Solar's focus has expanded to include helping to shape new permitting and zoning regulations more favorable to PV systems, building a workforce skilled in working with PV solar systems and working to build and improve standards and rules governing the solar industry. The regional network is working towards increased uniformity in regulations across the Midwest. Grow Solar is managed by the Midwest Renewable Energy Association, and so is based in rural Custer, Wisconsin, as well as having an office in Milwaukee. The MREA () manages many smaller initiatives in the region. Initial funding was provided by the Department of Energy's Sunshot program, a major initiative to promote and explore solar energy.

 Implementation of renewable energy sources can be made significantly more difficult and expensive by restrictive or complex zoning and permitting regulations and fees. The Grow Solar Toolkit is a resource provided to communities seeking to expand PV use, collecting information about zoning, permitting, and planning rules in place for local governments. This service helps speed and ease new green energy projects, focused on rooftop photovoltaic systems, by ensuring the sometimes arcane regulatory structure does not provide unexpected speed bumps. Similarly, Grow Solar provides technical aid with permitting and other regulations, as well as grid connection and metering, and the building of training programs. The aim is to ensure the future growth of PV solar and related industries.

The emerging renewable industry needs sufficient well-trained staff to establish itself as a viable alternative to fossil fuels. The MREA has substantial accredited training programs for PV, thermal solar, and small scale wind projects. The need for training and professional certification goes past simple installation and maintenance. Sites must be assessed for suitability and projects must be designed based on individual needs. Training is also available in working with regulations, zoning restrictions, and so on. Grow Solar and the MREA together also run training programs to teach updated standards and constantly changing regulatory issues to already trained contractors, salespeople, homeowners, renewable energy advocates, and so on. It is key that the workforce remain up to date with the ever-shifting technology and regulatory structure.

Grow Solar fills a necessary role in establishing the burgeoning green energy industry. They help to coordinate individual and city level projects with institutions at the state and greater Midwestern regional level, such as their parent organization, the Midwest Renewable Energy Association. The MREA, in turn, connects to larger groups such as the federal government and international organizations. These smaller projects are far more likely to be successful with this networked approach, with increased funding assistance and sharing of information, while allowing larger groups to have a more efficient structure of more grassroots-style groups and individuals doing the work on the ground.

Renewable Energies - The Big Leap and A Formidable Contributer

Renewable Energies – The Big Leap

When you think of ways that we, as an expanding and consumer-focused society, contribute to climate change for better or for worse, energy consumption is what I think of first. The resources we are using and have been using since the industrial revolution, are a finite amount and will not be replenished in any of our lifetimes.

There are many players which contribute to making this large transition – this leap – into an even more ever growing world which uses new technologies which are more efficient by use of less fossil fuels or by eradicating the dependence of it completely via renewable energy sources. One of these players is the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), a government agency whose goal is to develop technologies and practices that are energy clean and efficient along with engineering and science related advances and providing innovations for integration at any scale. NREL resides in Golden, Colorado. Their laboratories and testing facilities are here, whilst they also have an office in Washington D.C. and they have been around since 1974.

In 2011, NREL developed a brief introductory pamphlet type of document to be shown at the 48^th AiCARR International Conference (Italian Association aimed at plant reproduction of thermal energy). This small document has a lot of information packed into it regarding renewable energy sources. What I think makes this document more important than anything else I have seen is its focus of adapting these new technologies for buildings.

When I say buildings, I feel the need to elaborate; According to their introduction for the AiCARR, “Buildings account for approximately 40% of the worldwide annual energy consumption (WBCSD 2009).” I do not simply mean, outfitting old buildings with fluorescent lighting, carpets made from recyclable materials and furniture with some odd percent of biodegradable material. There is also much more than just solar panels and wind turbines, they have solar shingles for roofing, grid-tied communities, solar heating and ventilation and geothermal access; they even have an implementation plan for different ages of buildings.

NREL isn’t only working with other agencies and organizations to research new methods of implementation of renewable energy sources. Providing students in primary school special programs for learning more about the science and technology that goes into these energy solutions is a great way to spread knowledge. Teachers can also attend certain programs, a 5-day workshop that will teach them how to “integrate renewable energy and energy efficiency components into existing courses…”

Three facilities are owned and managed by NREL to help develop these new technologies. They are the National Bioenergy Center (NBC), National Center for Photovoltaics (NCP) and the National Wind Technology Center (NWTC). The NWTC also specializes in in advancing oceanic and freshwater power technologies and is home to their testing center of distributed energy resources (DERTF). This DERTF “includes generation, storage, and interconnection technologies as well as electric power system equipment capable of simulating a real-world electric system.”

Back to the transition. Buildings account for 40% of the energy consumed in the world. NREL helps develop technologies in renewable energy sources. They test their innovated devices and technologies in a multitude of ways for a bunch of different sectors. I would like to think they are a major actor, given the fact that they are attending international conferences in Italy about HVAC remedies of older buildings.

Information:

http://www.nrel.gov/

http://permanent.access.gpo.gov/gpo12705/52172.pdf