The Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) is a 501c3 organization that emphasizes expanding consumer access to clean energy, training a national workforce in clean energy installation, and advancing industry-wide best practices. Founded in 1982, IREC is recognized as a national thought leader in furthering renewable energy reach.
IREC advocates for a transition to distributed energy and helps advance best practices in:
- net metering rules (rules related to renewable energy customers receiving credit for excess energy produced)
- interconnection procedures (procedures as more systems seek to connect to the grid with renewable technologies). .
- solar permitting
- shared renewables (such as solar gardens)
Related to workforce development, IREC advances best practices in:
The IREC website lists some of their success stories including their work on solar gardens in Colorado. According to the IREC website, nationally, only about 1/4 of US households have the appropriate conditions to install solar (financial ability, home ownership, sun exposed roofs, etc.) Recognizing the massive potential of shared renewables, especially to low income or underserved communities, IREC established themselves as a thought leader and advocate for shared solar systems and now 16 states have implemented shared solar policies.
This blog is part of an on-going series highlighting thought leaders in the Non Profit sector.
The Politics of Energy - Educated Voices Needed
The next two years will be challenging for advocates of clean energy in America.
The new Republican majority in Congress is threatening to rollback the progress of the past 6 years. Fossil fuels (tar sands oil, coal and natural gas) are their energy sources of choice - with renewable energy (solar, wind, geothermal) pushed aside and starved of funding.
That is why the non-profit organizations we are highlighting in this series need your support. They have the means to educate - to inspire - to call to action - the people (like you) that can make a real difference in the debate - and keep us moving on the road to clean energy.
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