In September 2000, the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) began its 5-year work on contract # DE-FGO3-00SF22116, the Photovoltaics for You (PV4You) Project. The objective was to develop and distribute information on photovoltaics and to educate key stakeholder groups including state government agencies, local government offices, consumer representative agencies, school officials and students, and Million Solar Roofs Partnerships. In addition, the project was to identify barriers to the deployment of photovoltaics and implement strategies to overcome them. Information dissemination and education was accomplished by publishing newsletters; creating a base of information, guides, and models on the www.irecusa.org and the www.millionsolarroofs.org web sites; convening workshops and seminars; engaging multiple stakeholders; and widening the solar network to include new consumers and decision makers. Two major web sites were maintained throughout the project cycle. The www.irecusa.org web site housed dedicated pages for Connecting to the Grid, Schools Going Solar, Community Outreach, and Certification & Training. The www.millionsolarroofs.org web site was created to serve the MSR Partnerships with news, interviews, key documents, and resource material. Through the course of this grant, the Interstate Renewable Energy Council has been supporting the Department of Energys solar energy program goals by providing the Department with expertise services for their network of city, state, and community stakeholders. IREC has been the leading force at the state and federal levels regarding net metering and interconnection policy for photovoltaic systems. The principal goal and benefit of the interconnection and net metering work is to lower both barriers and cost for the installation of PV. IREC typically plays a leadership role among small generator stakeholders and has come to be relied upon for its expertise by industry and regulators. IREC also took a leadership position in developing quality and competency standards for solar professionals and for training programs critical components to bring the solar industry into step with other recognized craft labor forces. IRECs objective was to provide consumer assurances and assist the states and the solar industry in building a strong and qualified workforce. IRECs Schools Going Solar Clearinghouse provided channels of information to educate students, teachers, parents and the community at large about the benefits of solar energy. Solar school projects enhance science and math education while creating an initial entry market for domestic PV. And, IRECs community and outreach network got the right information out to capture the interest and met the needs of different audiences and reached groups that werent traditionally part of the solar community. IRECs PV4You project was effective because it resulted in reduced costs through easier interconnection and better net metering agreements and by raising the competency standards for solar practitioners. The project provided ways to eliminate barriers and constraints by providing technical assistance, offering model agreements based on industry consensus that were used by state and local decision makers. And, the project increased public acceptance by providing information, news and guidelines for different audiences.
