The Interstate Renewable Energy Council recently awarded Utah Clean Energy, with a 2017 3iAward, recognizing the nation’s best in “innovation, ingenuity and inspiration” in renewable energy and energy efficiency. The winners in four categories were based on a prestigious national search.
Local non-profit, Utah Clean Energy, received the Regulatory Champion of the Year Award for its collaborative effort with Salt Lake City to develop a 10-year solar deployment plan to provide the solar industry, regulators, local governments and utilities with tools to simplify and expand rooftop solar. Thanks in part to Utah Clean Energy’s work on solar, Utah has overcome multiple barriers to solar adoption and has experienced extraordinary market growth. Formerly a nascent market, solar’s estimated annual benefit to Utah’s economy rose to $300 million in 2016, and the state rocketed from 16th to sixth in the nation for total solar capacity installed.
According to Sarah Wright, Utah Clean Energy founder and executive director who accepted the award in San Francisco, CA, A Bright Future: a 10‐Year Solar Deployment Plan for Utah was designed to help decision makers develop policies that improve market certainty for the solar industry, and ensure fairness for consumers and utilities. “The plan provides a clear path to overcome the state’s newest challenges and guide the development of a sustainable and robust solar market across the state,” Wright said. “We’re very honored to be recognized as an innovator in our state and nation.”
According to an IREC news release, the work of the award recipients is “setting new standards ‐ creating solutions to today’s complex renewable energy and energy efficiency challenges ‐ changing communities and our national energy landscape in the process.”
Award applications were accepted in four categories: Community/Shared Renewables, State and Local
Government Initiatives, Regulatory Champion of the Year and IREC Certified Clean Energy Trainer of the Year.
For more information about Utah Clean Energy and its work visit UtahCleanEnergy.org.
