Mapping the Best and Worst Places for Rooftop Solar

A new scorecard, called "Freeing the Grid," evaluates states on the incentives they offer homeowners and businesses to install rooftop solar.

1 minute read

January 29, 2016, 6:00 AM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Julian Spector shares news of the "Freeing the Grid" scorecard, released earlier this week by the Interstate Renewable Energy Council. According to Spector, the scorecard is helpful in determining the answer to the questions: "How difficult is it to connect to the energy grid, and how will you be compensated for the electricity your panels produce?"

More specifically, according to Spector, the scorecard "serves as a handy tracker for the growth of policies that promote 'net metering' (which compensates homegrown energy producers for the surplus electricity they pump back into the grid) and 'interconnection' (which is the technical term for the logistics involved in actually hooking up a renewable energy project to the grid)."

The article also includes a look at the interactive map that accompanies the report, as well as Spector's quick take on the answers to the aforementioned questions, depending on where prospective solar customers live.

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