1. Solar Policy Priorities for West Virginia
4th Annual West Virginia Solar Congress
April 27, 2019
James M. Van Nostrand Professor and Director, Center for Energy and Sustainable Development
West Virginia University College of Law
Center for Energy and
Sustainable Development

2. Overview of Solar Policies
Rigorous Integrated Resource Planning
Net Metering
Renewable Portfolio Standard with Solar carve-out
Third-party ownership of Solar PV (Autumn)
Enunciated state goals for solar penetration
State greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction goals
State tax policies encouraging distributed solar PV
Center for Energy and
Sustainable Development

3. Integrated Resource Planning
Current statute (§ )
Deficiencies
Not integrated
Not used for anything
Not frequent enough (every five years)
Experience under current statute
Appalachian Power IRP
FirstEnergy IRP
Center for Energy and
Sustainable Development

4. Integrated Resource Planning
Appalachian Power IRP (January 1, 2016)
Center for Energy and
Sustainable Development

5. Integrated Resource Planning
FirstEnergy IRP (December 30,2015)
Center for Energy and
Sustainable Development

6. Integrated Resource Planning
FirstEnergy IRP
Center for Energy and
Sustainable Development

7. Integrated Resource Planning
FirstEnergy IRP
Center for Energy and
Sustainable Development

8. Net Metering
Center for Energy and
Sustainable Development

9. Net Metering
Straightforward, simple policy to pay retail rate for output of customer-sited solar PV
Many states re-visiting policy to make pricing less generous for solar
Decline in prices, increased efficiency of solar PV have combined to change economics
Perceived “cost shift” of non-generating customers subsidizing customers through paying in excess of avoided costs
Example: New York’s “value stack”
Center for Energy and
Sustainable Development

10. Renewable Portfolio Standard
Former Alternative and Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard repealed in January 2015
First state in country to repeal an RPS
Worthless measure anyway, but negative impression
Surrounding states (Except Ohio) have closed borders to interstate distributed solar
Limited market for SRECs generated in West Virginia
Center for Energy and
Sustainable Development

11. Renewable Portfolio Standard
Center for Energy and
Sustainable Development

12. RPS + DERs/Solar
Center for Energy and
Sustainable Development

13. Third-Party Ownership (Autumn)
Center for Energy and
Sustainable Development

14. State Solar Goals
Other states are committed to procuring ambitious amounts of utility-scale and distributed solar
Center for Energy and
Sustainable Development

15. State GHG Reduction Goals
Articulates a state policy favoring non-carbon resources
For on-site generation, gives solar an advantage over combined heat and power (CHP)
Can be accompanied by “putting a price on carbon”
Center for Energy and
Sustainable Development

16. State Tax Policies
Other states have provisions in their tax codes encourage solar PV
Incentives in addition to those under federal tax law
Center for Energy and
Sustainable Development

17. Questions/Comments? James M. Van Nostrand (304) 293-4694
West Virginia University College of Law
Center for Energy and Sustainable Development
(304)
Center for Energy and
Sustainable Development