This webinar features a discussion between a California Fire Marshal and an advisor to a DOE national lab on energy storage system safety.
Key topics include:

• What do AHJ’s need to know to approve residential & small commercial energy storage systems?
• What are some of the key items that hold up approvals?
• What improvements to the IFC/NFPA 855 do you feel are needed for ESS?
• How do product standards like UL 9540 and testing like 9540A allow for safer installation of ESS?
• Where can you find available training?

Target audience:
AHJs who enforce fire code (both NFPA and IFC) and other clean energy stakeholders interested in learning more about energy storage systems.

The Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) and GridLab describe their new resource: A Playbook for Modernizing the Distribution Grid, Volume 1: Grid Modernization Goals, Principles and Plan Evaluation Checklist. The first in a series, this evaluation toolkit is designed to help regulatory stakeholders navigate, analyze and make more informed decisions about grid modernization proposals. With this toolkit in hand, stakeholders will be better equipped to ensure that grid modernization efforts are done with state public policy goals, such as clean energy adoption, in mind. Playbook authors will provide an overview of the first volume, which consists of goals and principles for grid modernization, and an evaluation checklist – combined, they provide an initial framework to help utility regulators and regulatory stakeholders assess the merits of proposed grid modernization plans, investments and initiatives.

Timestamps: 

0:00 - Presentation Introduction by Steve Jones, Chairman of the Sustainable Energy Action Committee (SEAC) and Assistant Building Official of the City of Oceanside, CA

3:04 - Introduction by Larry Sherwood, President & CEO of the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC), which will be the administrator of SEAC under a forthcoming Department of Energy grant

6:28 - 9:44 Panelist introductions and acknowledgments by Jeff Spies, Secretary of SEAC, President of Planet Plan Sets, and Chair of the Codes and Standards Committee of the California Solar and Storage Association (CALSSA)
10:50 - Jeff Spies begins the presentation

28:47 - Presentation by Donny Cook - Chief Electrical Inspector, Shelby County, AL. Shelby County has been doing remote inspections for about 10 years. 

38:43 - presentation by Mostafa Kashe - Chief Electrical Inspector, Los Angeles County. LA County has been implementing some elements for about 2 years.

50:50 - presentation by Darold Wiley - Senior Electrical Inspector, City of Irvine, CA. Irvine implemented remote inspection in response to COVID-19 (late March 2020)

55:04 - presentation by David Gans - Chief Building Official, City of Oceanside, CA. Oceanside also implemented remote inspection. 

1:07:22 - Jeff Spies shares additional solar permitting and inspection resources

1:08:48 - Panelist contact information

1:09:05 - SEAC contact information and info on how to subscribe to updates

1:10:14 Q&A starts 

IREC and VoteSolar recently released a new checklist to help regulators and interested stakeholders evaluate and improve voluntary community solar across the country. The resource describes seven key principles and topics:

● Expand customer access to clean energy
● Offer tangible economic benefits for all participating customers
● Identify ways to promote project development cost savings
● Prioritize the customer experience
● Promote competition
● Optimize community solar to benefit the grid and community
● Complement existing programs

The focus on utility-led community solar programs in this new tool is not intended to imply or recommend that voluntary offerings should be the only programs made available. It also does not take a position on utility-ownership. This checklist highlights key considerations to support replicable successes across diverse markets.

You may also be interested in exploring these related IREC resources which are discussed in the webinar:

• Checklist for Voluntary Utility-Led Community Solar Programs
• National Shared Renewables Scorecard
• Shared Renewables Policy Catalog

IREC hosted a webinar on January 10, 2018 about hosting capacity analysis and IREC’s new resource Optimizing the Grid: A Regulator’s Guide to Hosting Capacity Analyses for Distributed Energy Resources. Report authors Sky Stanfield, Stephanie Safdi and Sara Baldwin Auck provided an overview and insights on the findings and recommendations from the guide, including lessons learned from states already engaged in HCA efforts.