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Stephen Hall is a partner in the Portland office of Stoel Rives LLP, and is the chair of the Firm's Renewable Energy Initiative.

In the midst of an unprecedented amount of bad news surrounding the economy, the robust growth in employment in the wind and solar energy sectors has been receiving a lot of attention. Wind industry jobs have increased 70% over the past year, totaling 85,000 in 2008. These 85,000 jobs in the wind industry include some 13,000 manufacturing jobs,

Now for some good news. Today the Oregon Public Utility Commission (OPUC) issued an important decision giving a green light to companies seeking to own and operate solar and wind-powered distributed generation facilities. Third-party ownership of renewable distributed generation—especially solar—has really taken off in the past few years because it allows a utility customer to enjoy the benefits of on-site renewable energy, but pay the facility owner only for the electricity generated by the facility. 
Continue Reading Oregon Public Utility Commission Gives Green Light to Third-party Ownership Model for Distributed Generation

Greetings! On behalf of the Stoel Rives Renewable Energy Initiative, I would like to welcome you to our blog, Renewable + Law.SM We intend Renewable + LawSM to be a catalyst for lively discussion about renewable energy and climate policies, major renewable energy projects, emerging technologies, market developments, new laws, tax credits and industry