In December 2013, the Commission directed the MPSC Staff to convene a solar working group to discuss and determine possibilities for improving DTE Electric’s customer-owned SolarCurrents program including means for incorporating community solar into the program.  Additionally, Consumers Energy participated in the discussions.  The working group met approximately every 3 weeks from February through May 2014.  On July 1, 2014 the MPSC Staff issued its report summarizing the group’s work and posted the report in both DTE Electric’s U-17302 and Consumers Energy’s U-17301 renewable energy plan dockets.

The Commission has reconvened the Solar Working Group in May 2015 to specifically focus on a just and reasonable value of capacity in the VoS computation, considering capacity values in different contexts including at minimum the MISO annual auction, MISO Cost of New Entry, Consumers’ acquisition of capacity through private auction, embedded capacity costs, and tariffed costs for stand-by capacity.  The Commission ordered Staff to file a report in the U-17752 docket by September 30, 2015 describing recommendations for “a more predictable and fair VoS calculation method.”

• MN VOS - Analysis by ILSR
• Line Loss Contributors
• Austin Energy 2014 VOS
• Noniterative Method to Approximate the Effective Load Carrying Capability of a Wind Plant
• Update: Effective Load Carrying Capability of Photovoltaics in the United States
• MPSC Value of Solar Presentation 2014 February 25
• Minnesota Value of Solar Report
• NREL Photovoltaics Valuation in Michigan
• U-17302 Karl Rabago Testimony Part 1
• U-17302 Karl Rabago Testimony Part 2
  • Exhibit KRR-3 Review of Solar PV Benefit/Cost Studies
  • Exhibit KRR- 4 Value of Solar DG to NJ & PA
  • Exhibit KRR-5 Austin Energy Solar Valuation Info Page 69
• State and Utility Solar Energy Programs (Tom Stanton, NRRI)
• ICER International Energy Regulation
• Calculating the Benefits and Costs of Distributed Solar Generation (IREC)
• Valuation of Solar Resource Links
• Virginia Case Law - Value of Solar
• Value & the cost of Distributed Generation Edison Electric
• MN PUC VOS Order
• MN PUC Order Rejecting Xcel’s Community Solar Plan

• Cherryland Electric Community Solar
• SEPA Community Solar Handbook
• Community Solar Guide (Michigan)