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GTM Research

California Solar Mandate Bumps Solar Forecast By 14% Over 4 Years

by Joshua S Hill May 14, 2018

The recent decision by the California Energy Commission to mandate solar on all new residential buildings starting from 2020 has had a noticeable impact on GTM Research’s solar forecast for the Golden State, bumping it up by 14% over 4 years, or around 650 megawatts (MW).

Last week, after rumors and speculation had all but confirmed it, the California Energy Commission (CEC) announced that it would approve changes to the 2019 Building Energy Efficiency Standards which would mandate all new residential buildings — including new homes, condos, and apartment buildings — be built with solar PV installations of some sort, or tap into a community solar project.

The move was intended to help cut energy use in new homes by over 50% and is expected to cut greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to taking 115,000 cars off the roads.

“Under these new standards, buildings will perform better than ever, at the same time they contribute to a reliable grid,” said Commissioner Andrew McAllister, who is the Energy Commission’s lead on energy efficiency. “The buildings that Californians buy and live in will operate very efficiently while generating their own clean energy. They will cost less to operate, have healthy indoor air and provide a platform for ‘smart’ technologies that will propel the state even further down the road to a low emissions future.”

“This is an undeniably historic decision for the state and the US California has long been our nation’s biggest solar champion, and its mass adoption of solar has generated huge economic and environmental benefits, including bringing tens of billions of dollars of investment into the state,” said Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association. “Now, California is taking bold leadership again, recognizing that solar should be as commonplace as the front door that welcomes you home.”

GTM Research published a new analysis late last week which revealed what it expects to be the upside to this new requirement, specifically, the base-case residential solar PV forecast increased by 14% between 2020 to 2023, which works out to be an increase of about 650 MW.

GTM’s analysis is based on the Commission’s prediction that nearly 75,000 new homes will be built across California in 2020 alone and could help the state overcome a recent period of sluggish residential solar growth. GTM also note that their forecasts are a baseline and that there is greater potential available, but it will depend on what size solar addition becomes the norm for new construction and the segment of new houses that are eligible for exemption — those that may simply be incompatible or built in the shade of buildings or trees. Additionally, GTM’s new analysis does not apply to multi-family housing units, although GTM typically excludes these from its residential solar forecasts anyway.

May 14, 2018 0 comment

Solar $Solar Research

Global Solar Installations To Exceed 104 Gigawatts In 2018, Predicts GTM

by Joshua S Hill April 16, 2018

written by Joshua S Hill

GTM Research has this morning published a new analysis which predicts global solar PV installations will exceed 104 gigawatts (GW) in 2018, and will continue to exceed 100 GW per year through to at least 2022.

After an impressive 98.9 GW worth of solar was installed in 2017, most analysts are expecting 2018 to see the global solar sector exceed the 100 GW mark for the first time. In January, Bloomberg New Energy Finance Chief Editor Angus McCrone predicted that 2018 will see 107 GW worth of new solar capacity, while EnergyTrend, a division of TrendForce, predicted that the global solar market would install 106 GW. Just last week, IHS Markit analysts predicted that global solar demand would hit 113 GW thanks in part to a massive fourth quarter of 34 GW.

Adding weight to the argument that 2018 solar will at least surpass 100 GW, GTM Research on Monday published its latest Global Solar Demand Monitor which predicts that 104 GW worth of solar will be installed in 2018, a 6% annual growth. Further, GTM expects that annual installations will “easily exceed” 100 GW each year through to at least 2022.

Maybe more interesting, however, is GTM’s expectation that annual growth will be due, at least in part, to “geographic diversification” which will make up for a decline over the top four markets of 7%. Specifically, GTM expects to see Chinese solar installations to fall by 9.4% in 2018 — though the country will still account for 47% of global demand. The United States market will stay steady in 2018, while India’s solar installations are expected to fall by around 26%.

According to the report, the US market is expected to add 10.6 gigawatts of solar PV in 2018 while India will install 7.1 gigawatts.

“Trade-restrictive measures continue to be a barrier to growth in the U.S. and India,” said GTM Research solar analyst Rishab Shrestha. “Although the availability of tariff-free modules in the U.S. and the announcement that compensation will be provided to Indian developers negatively impacted by tariffs and duties provides some encouragement.”

As has been suggested by many other analysts over the past 15 months, GTM Research similarly believes that diversification of the solar market will take on a geographical element, with numerous new countries stepping up now that solar technology has reached such low costs and the value of solar has been so repeatedly proven around the world. Specifically, GTM Research expects Egypt and Brazil to join the gigawatt-scale markets.

Number of Gigawatt-Scale Solar Markets by Year

GTM Research currently expects Latin America to add 5.6 GW worth of new solar in 2018, and the Middle East and Africa (MENA) region to add 4.7 GW — representing year-on-year growth of 61% and a phenomenal 281% respectively.

April 16, 2018 0 comment

Energy Storage Market Research Solar Research

Report: US Energy Storage Market To Triple In 2018

by James Ayre March 10, 2018

written by James Ayre

The capacity of energy storage systems being deployed in the US will roughly triple this year (2018) on the back of rapidly falling costs and state- and local-level support, according to a new report released by GTM Research and the Energy Storage Association trade organization.

So, to put that in simpler terms, the report predicts that: the US energy storage market will increase ~200% this year. This growth, and also overall total deployments, will be split amongst commercial installations, utility-scale installations, and home/household installations.

To be more specific, the report predicts that growth will total around 186% — up to 1,233 megawatt-hours (MWh) worth of new energy storage installation capacity. This compares to a growth-rate of “just” 27% in 2017 — relating to 431 MWh worth of new energy storage installation capacity.

“Front-of-the-meter deployments accounted for the largest share of the market in 2017, but it was the behind-the-market market that showed the most progress in 2017, increasing by 79% year-over-year with record deployments in both the residential and non-residential segments,” CleanTechnica writes.

This is largely because new home energy storage system costs have been plummeting in recent years — partly due to a large increase in the number and quality of offerings out there on the consumer market.

It should be noted here that if battery supply constraint problems weren’t an issue that growth would likely be a fair bit higher than it is — as you may recall, the wait time for new Tesla Powerwall systems is now pretty long, and the same is true of the offerings of many other companies as well.

Reuters adds: “Storage system costs have fallen by roughly two thirds in the last five years, Manghani said. In addition, more states are mandating utilities procure storage systems. The market for energy storage is still small, generating just $300 million in value last year, the report said. But batteries have long held the promise of solving the intermittent nature of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar, so their development is closely watched by investors, regulators and power companies.”

With that in mind, the report predicts that the market will total more than $1 billion a year in 2019 — with strong growth expected for the foreseeable future.

March 10, 2018 0 comment

Solar Projects

US Smashes Solar Power Records in 2016

by Steve Hanley December 13, 2016

written by Steve Hanley

The Solar Energy Industries Association says in a new report released on December 13, “The U.S. installed 4,143 megawatts of solar power in Q3 2016 to reach 35.8 gigawatts of total installed capacity, enough solar power to run 6.5 million American homes. With more than 1 million residential solar installations nationwide and record-breaking growth in the utility-scale sector, the industry is poised to nearly double year-over-year.”

The 22 MW Victor Phelan project, located in San Bernardino, CA. (Pic: Recurrent Energy)

The report was compiled by GTM Research and predicts that there will be 4.8 gigawatts of solar power brought on line in the 4th quarter of this year. That’s more than in the entire year of 2015. “It’s safe to say the state of the solar industry here in America is strong,” said Tom Kimbis, SEIA’s interim president. “The solar market now enjoys an economically-winning hand that pays off both financially and environmentally.” Cory Honeyman, associate director of US solar power at GTM Research says, “The third quarter of 2016 represents the first phase of this massive wave of project completion — a trend that will continue well into the first half of 2017.”

Between July and September of this year, 4.1GW of solar photovoltaic cells (PV) were installed in the US. That’s enough new power for one home every 11 seconds – using the Solar Energy Industries Association’s (SEIA) average figure that 1MW powers 164 homes on average.

The SEIA report, compiled by consultants at GTM Research, predicts that the last quarter of this year will be an even larger with roughly 4.8 gigawatts of new solar power scheduled to come online before the year is out. If so, that one quarter will exceed the amount of solar power installed in all of 2015. 77% of new capacity in 2016 was in the form of grid scale solar farms rather than residential rooftop solar panel systems.

December 13, 2016 0 comment

Solar Records

Solar Energy Will Have A Very Good Year In 2016 Says SEIA

by Steve Hanley June 12, 2016

written by Steve Hanley

Solar energy accounted for 64% of all new electric generating capacity brought online in the first quarter of 2016 according to GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association’s U.S. Solar Market Insight Report. In total, 1,665 megawatts of solar power were added between January 1 and March 31. The report also says that this year the solar industry will install an unprecedented 14.5 gigawatts of capacity. That’s a 94% increase over 2015. There are now more than a million operating solar PV installations across the country, representing 27.5 cumulative gigawatts of operating capacity.

Solar power installations GTM Research

June 12, 2016 0 comment

Energy Storage Going Solar Market Research Policy Research PV Rooftop Solar Solar $Solar Incentives Solar Policy Solar Research

California Solar Incentives, Solar Installers, & Solar Costs

by Zach June 7, 2016

written by Zach

Originally published on Cost of Solar.

California is ground zero for solar energy in the United States. So, it seems logical to start our state-level solar energy deep dives here. In the article below, I’ll provide as thorough a look at California solar incentives + solar installers + solar costs as I’ve seen anywhere. Actually, it is more thorough than anything I’ve seen.

Naturally, if you read through this and know of more California solar energy facts or resources I should look at and include, let me know in the comments!

Solar Incentives

The first thing to know is that there’s a solar investment tax credit (ITC) available across the United States that offers a credit from the federal government of up to 30% of the cost of a solar installation. However, you have to have that much tax liability in a single year in order to take advantage of the full credit. Additionally, the 30% credit runs through 2019, after which, a phaseout of the incentive begins (under current law). Here are some more details from the US Department of Energy:

Solar-electric property

30% for systems placed in service by 12/31/2019
26% for systems placed in service after 12/31/2019 and before 01/01/2021
22% for systems placed in service after 12/31/2020 and before 01/01/2022
There is no maximum credit for systems placed in service after 2008.
Systems must be placed in service on or after January 1, 2006, and on or before December 31, 2021.
The home served by the system does not have to be the taxpayer’s principal residence.

Solar water-heating property

30% for systems placed in service by 12/31/2019
26% for systems placed in service after 12/31/2019 and before 01/01/2021
22% for systems placed in service after 12/31/2020 and before 01/01/2022
There is no maximum credit for systems placed in service after 2008.
Systems must be placed in service on or after January 1, 2006, and on or before December 31, 2021.
Equipment must be certified for performance by the Solar Rating Certification Corporation (SRCC) or a comparable entity endorsed by the government of the state in which the property is installed.
At least half the energy used to heat the dwelling’s water must be from solar in order for the solar water-heating property expenditures to be eligible.
The tax credit does not apply to solar water-heating property for swimming pools or hot tubs.
The home served by the system does not have to be the taxpayer’s principal residence.

Across California, certain solar energy systems are exempt from property taxes, so no need to worry about increasing your tax bill.

Probably the second-biggest incentive for California solar consumers is the state’s net metering policy — hence the reason fossil fuel & monopolistic utility companies have been routinely attacking it and trying to remove or change it. The policy exists in the jurisdictions of all of the state’s utilities except LADWP, which has a feed- in tariff program in place and its own net metering policy. Under the state net metering policy, excess electricity a consumer generates with her/his solar power system (or other renewable energy system) is treated as follows:

Credited to customer’s next bill at retail rate. After 12-month cycle, customer may opt to roll over credit indefinitely or to receive payment for credit at a rate equal to the 12-month average spot market price for the hours of 7 am to 5 pm for the year in which the surplus power was generated. (If customer makes no affirmative decision, credit is granted to utility with no compensation for customer.)

While consumers using net metering were exempted from connection charges for years, the rules recently changed, and will coming into effect in July 2017 at the latest. Here are more details from DSIRE:

In January 2016, the California Public Utilities Commission issued a decision on its net metering successor tariff. Customers on the new net metering successor tariff will have to pay an interconnection fee, estimated at $75-$150; pay all non-bypassable charges for all electricity consumed from the grid (~$0.02-0.03/kWh); and go on a time-of-use rate. The net metering successor tariff will take effect for California’s three large investor-owned utilities (IOU) on July 1, 2017, or when 5% of the sum of non-coincident customer peak demand is reached for the IOU, which translates to an installed net-metered capacity of 2,409 MW for Pacific Gas and Electric, 2,240 MW for Southern California Edison, and 617 MW for San Diego Gas and Electric.

Click here to read more about the CPUC’s efforts to create a customer-generator successor tariff or contract.

Virtual net metering is also allowed for multi-family buildings, and an April 2016 CPUC decision added rules for solar-connected storage systems up to 10 kW. Here are some more details on the virtual net metering rules:

AB 2466 of 2008 allows a local government, if certain conditions are met, to distribute bill credits from a renewable energy system across more than one meter. To be eligible for this billing arrangement all electrical accounts involved must receive electricity under a time-of-use tariff, and all accounts must be owned by the same entity.

California also allows virtual net metering for certain utility customers. Originally authorized just for customers participating in the Multifamily Affordable Solar Housing (MASH) program, the CPUC voted in July 2011 in favor of a proposed decision which extends virtual net metering to all multi-tenant properties and to all distributed generation technologies. Virtual net metering allows the bill credits associated with the electricity produced by the system to be distributed across all the tenants’ electricity bills.

Regarding solar + storage, here are the rules:

Energy Storage (IOUs Only)
California allows renewable energy systems coupled with energy storage to qualify for net metering. A chief concern when introducing storage to net metering is the risk that a customer would store grid electricity during times when electricity costs are low and export that same grid electricity during times when electricity costs are high. The CPUC developed rules to address this and other concerns. The CPUC developed different rules for PV systems paired with storage devices 10 kW or less, and PV systems paired with storage devices larger than 10 kW or other forms of renewable energy paired with storage of any size.

PV systems paired with storage devices larger than 10 kW and non-PV renewable energy technologies paired with storage of any size:
The CPUC issued a decision in May 2014 establishing rules for net metering systems paired with storage devices larger than 10 kW. In addition to other requirements, these systems must : 1) install a non-export relay on the storage device(s); 2) install an interval meter for the NEM-eligible generation, meter the load, and meter total energy flows at the point of common coupling; or 3) install an interval meter directly to the NEM-eligible generator(s). While these rules originally applied only to systems paired with storage larger than 10 kW, a subsequent CPUC decision extended these requirements to all non-PV technologies paired with storage of any size.

PV systems paired with storage devices 10 kW or less:
The CPUC issued a decision in April 2016 establishing rules for net metering PV systems paired with storage 10 kW or less. Rather than installing the extra equipment required for storage devices greater than 10 kW, the rules for PV systems paired with smaller storage protects against rate arbitrage by relying on system output estimations. Specifically, utilities are required to establish monthly maximum allowable output limits for net metering facilities using CPUC-approved tools. Any export by the customer’s system which exceeds the monthly limit would not be eligible for net metering credits.

The other big solar incentive in California for years was the California Solar Initiative’s cashback grant for installing solar. However, that program is now closed across the state for residential consumers. It is still open for commercial consumers in the San Diego Gas & Electric district.

That said, there are still numerous other solar incentives available in The Golden State. DSIRE collates the most comprehensive index of solar incentives in the country (or the world) as far as I’m aware. It shows 208 solar incentive programs in California. Of course, most are for specific cities, counties, utility jurisdictions, or special districts. I could quickly paste them all in here, but DSIRE continuously updates the incentives as they change, so I think it’s best to just direct you there to find the incentives that could benefit you.

Solar Installers

First of all, before looking into installers in your area, be sure you are prepared to evaluate installers and solar financing options. You don’t want to go to a solar installer with no background knowledge and info about what you are looking for, just as you don’t want to go to a car dealership in the same way.

Naturally, being the largest solar market in the US (by far), all of the big players in the home solar installation industry operate in California. Here’s the top 10 list (nationally):

SolarCity
Vivint Solar
Sunnova
RGS Energy (Real Goods Solar)
Solar Universe
Bland Solar & Air
Amergy Solar
Smart Energy Solar
KDH Solar
Direct Solar Energy

It’s not clear if KDH Solar & Direct Solar Energy operate in California, but solar installers #1–8 do.

As hinted above, though, not all installers are equal. Last year, SolarCity’s MyPower prices were found to be 34% higher than the California average. (Note: SolarCity later ended its MyPower program and just launched another home solar loan program.) Keys to evaluate are the types of financing options installers offer (and try to push on you): internally provided solar loans vs solar leases/PPAs vs solar loans from other companies. Then you have to evaluate how those options compare to other financing options you could use, weighing upfront costs, interest rates, timeframes (a 30-year loan is sure to cost you a lot more than a 20-year loan), and what’s included.

Aside from contacting individual installers, you can get quotes from a variety of installers via Cost of Solar, Pick My Solar, EnergySage, Google’s Project Sunroof, and probably other such services.

You can also check reviews on Yelp, but I hear that reviews are commonly planted on the site, so I don’t know how reliable they are.

A comprehensive database of solar installers/contractors was created and is maintained by the California Energy Commission, and you can search for one in your area via this tool.

Solar Costs

According to the Q4 2015 US Solar Market Insight report, average solar PV system pricing breaks out as follows:

SEIA notes, “Overall system pricing fell by up to 17% over the course of 2015, depending on the market segment, with the largest declines in the utility fixed-tilt sector. On a quarterly basis, pricing continues to trend downward with some levelling-off in the residential sector in particular due to strong investment in customer acquisition and the stubbornness of other soft costs. In the non- residential and utility sectors, there were annual declines of 10% and 17%, respectively. This reflects continued aggressive cost reductions, both in hardware and soft costs, in national system pricing on an aggregate basis. Moreover, as installers and EPCs expand to regions with lower labor and regulatory compliance costs, these regions will have a larger impact on aggregate pricing. Due to advantages from scale, variations in utility system costs are much smaller than variations in residential and non-residential solar costs.”

Here are some more details on solar PV system pricing:

Average pricing for residential rooftop systems landed at $3.50/Wdc in Q4 2015, with nearly 65% of costs coming from on-site labor, engineering, permitting and other soft costs.

While residential hardware costs have fallen by over 16% in the past year, soft costs have actually risen on an industry average basis by 7%, primarily due to rising customer acquisition costs among national and local players alike.

In the non-residential market soft costs remain a challenge as well. Hardware costs fell 15% year- over-year while soft costs saw a modest decrease of 6%. In Q4 2015 soft costs accounted for approximately 50% of total system pricing. Soft costs can be even higher for projects in areas with strict labor requirements and particularly in tough permitting and interconnection jurisdictions. In order to continue reducing costs, developers and EPCs are looking to squeeze additional power density for commercial sites and amortize fixed costs over more power output – and therefore reduce dollar-per-watt and dollar-per-kWh.

California represents nearly 50% of the US solar market. While it’s not clear what the precise averages for solar costs are in California, the state can’t be too far off the average, on average. 😀

Based on the Pick My Solar research noted above regarding SolarCity, the average price of a SolarCity system is $5.10 per watt, while the company found the average price in the state to be $3.60 per watt. That matches up closely with GTM Research & SEIA’s Q4 average of $3.50 per watt. So, I think it’s safe to say that the California average is somewhere between $3.40 per watt and $3.70 per watt (but remember that soft costs have been coming down, and if the trend has continued in 2016, the overall average could be dropping).

If you have more information on solar costs in California, let us know!

June 7, 2016 1 comment

Market Research Solar Research

GTM’s Shayle Kann Predicts Future Of US Solar

by Joshua S Hill November 10, 2015

written by Joshua S Hill

Shayle Kann, the director of GTM Research, is predicting the US solar industry to continue on its impressive growth streak, and to play a “meaningful role” in the future of electricity in the US.

The former Fullbright scholar, who now directs GTM Research, the market analysis, advisory and consulting division of Greentech Media, is behind the latest executive briefing from GTM Research, which investigates the future of the US solar industry. Specifically, Kann envisions solar playing “a meaningful role in the future of electricity in the US” thanks in part to fallen solar costs.

Solar PV System Price Forecast Through 2030

Solar PV System Price Forecast Through 2030, a slide from Shayle Kann’s presentation at the US Solar Market Insight event.

“For the solar industry,” Kann writes, “it is time to start thinking about the next order of magnitude.” Given that the US solar industry has skyrocketed from only 2 GW cumulative capacity at the end of 2010 through to a likely 26 GW by the end of this year, that could mean a lot of the US solar industry. Kann believes that the US solar industry could realistically grow from contributing approximately 1% of the US electricity to 10% over the next 10 to 15 years.

But “That path is by no means guaranteed,” Kann adds, noting that “solar faces both advantages and disadvantages as it begins to truly scale.”

Which is the driving force between Kann’s executive report, highlighting “the key forces likely to push, or impede, solar growth in the coming years” and identifying “opportunities for the solar industry to ensure its future.” The report follows a presentation Shayle Kann gave at the US Solar Market Insight event, in front of more than 400 executives from the solar industry, on November 3.

—

The Future of US Solar executive report was provided by GTM Research

November 10, 2015 0 comment

Market Research Solar Modules Solar Research

China, US, & Asia Rank As World’s Most Attractive Solar PV Module Manufacturers

by Joshua S Hill October 22, 2015

written by Joshua S Hill

The world’s top five most attractive countries for solar PV module manufacturing has received a boost from a “flurry of new module manufacturing capacity” in 2014.

This, according to new research published by GTM Research today in its Global PV Manufacturing Attractive Index 2015 (PVMAX), which ranks the world’s most attractive countries in which to manufacturer solar PV modules.

Despite what GTM Research describes as “a flurry of new module manufacturing capacity” during 2014, China still reigns as the number one most attractive country in which to manufacturer PV modules, but conversely, the authors of the report were surprised to find that the United States is the world’s fifth most attractive module manufacturing country

In all, the top 10 included (in order): China, Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia, the United States, India, Thailand, Canada, South Korea, and Germany.

“The U.S. is a very attractive country for manufacturing and ranks higher than any other highcost country because of its robust domestic demand and access to markets globally,” said Mohit Anand, report author and GTM Research Senior Solar Analyst. “The report notes that close to 10 percent of new module manufacturing capacity announcements this year has been for plants located in the U.S. “Anything that helps grow domestic demand, including an extension of the federal Investment Tax Credit, would further support U.S. attractiveness to manufacturers.”

Following several years of a persistent oversupply of solar PV modules, the market is finally returning to a more stable supply situation thanks to two separate factors identified by GTM researchers: First, consolidation and facility closures have tightened supplies; and second, global PV demand is expected to increase over the following five years.

In fact, GTM Research predicts that solar PV demand will reach 135 GW in 2020.

This could in fact lead to a “supply crunch” by the end of the decade, as demand ramps up high enough to put a healthy strain on the supply of solar PV modules. Specifically, GTM Research is predicting an excess module capacity of only 26%, where an excess capacity between 30% and 70% would be more ideal.

Module Excess Capacity Ratio

GTM Research ranked countries’ attractiveness according to the following key measures and relative weights:

Business environment – 10%
Access to demand – 40%
PV manufacturing support – 15%
All-in costs – 35%

October 22, 2015 0 comment

Energy Storage Market Research PV Rooftop Solar Solar Projects Solar Research

4 MW Solar + Storage Installed In US In 2014, Set To Skyrocket In 2015

by James Ayre September 30, 2015

written by James Ayre

While only 4 megawatts (MW) of solar photovoltaic (PV) + energy storage capacity was deployed in the US in 2014, significant change is coming to the sector, according to GTM Research. Altogether, less than 0.1% of all solar PV installations in 2014 were accompanied by energy storage systems. Amazingly, this is actually a decrease in installation rates over earlier years.

As predicted by GTM Research, though, things are changing this year. According to the research firm, 22 MW of solar + storage will be deployed in total in the US by the end of 2015; by 2020, the firm’s prediction is that the total will be 769 MW.

The largest solar + storage market in the US is predicted to be California (with 422 MW of capacity) — unsurprising, as California is currently the largest solar + storage market in the US and also the largest solar market, by far.

With regard to monetary figures, the market is expected to surge to $246 million in 2015, then to $643 million in 2016, and then to $3.1 billion by 2020.

Here’s some more via GTM Research:

There are a number of drivers for the increased level of industry and customer interest. Several technologies, led by lithium-ion, continue along rapid commercialization paths, bringing down costs and providing one of the biggest drivers for the industry. Along with cost reductions, solar-plus-storage value streams continue to advance from traditional backup to multiple use cases. These benefits vary in three ways: frequency of use, discharge duration, and the key beneficiary.

Generally speaking, benefits that have more frequent use improve the overall economics of the system. These benefits are not necessarily mutually exclusive, although there are limitations based on technology, availability of charge, frequency and timing of multiple applications. Apart from the technical constraints, front-of-meter benefits have generally not been monetized, except in a few markets at pilot scale.

Market rules and policies are still evolving in reaction to the proliferation of distributed energy resources. But across the major state markets with attractive incentive landscapes, the value proposition of solar-plus-storage varies by customer segment. The use cases can range from homeowners optimizing rooftop solar compensation in response to net energy metering reforms and time-of-use retail rates to peak demand shaving for commercial customers.

With significant changes coming to the country’s electricity markets as a whole, the solar + storage sector remains one that’s really worth keeping a close eye on.

September 30, 2015 0 comment

Solar Records

US Solar Industry Installs 1,393 MW Of PV In Q2’15, Pushes Industry Past 20 GW

by Joshua S Hill September 9, 2015

written by Joshua S Hill

The US solar industry installed 1,393 MW of solar PV in the second quarter of 2015, pushing the country’s total cumulative capacity past 20 GW.

The news comes courtesy of the new Q2 2015 US Solar Market Insight Report, published by GTM Research and the US Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). Published on Tuesday, the report highlighted the “record-breaking trajectory” of the US solar industry.

The report also highlights the fact that 40% of all new electric generating capacity brought online in the first half of 2015 in the US came from solar. 21 states throughout the country now have more than 100 MW of solar PV capacity, though the top five states in terms of solar capacity account for nearly ¾ of the total US cumulative PV capacity.

Interestingly, the authors of the report expect the second half of 2015 to “be significantly larger than the first in terms of new deployments,” thanks primarily to “a bevy of utility-scale project completions, combined with a continued ramp in the residential market and a commercial solar resurgence in select states.”

“The utility PV market continues to be the bedrock driver of new installation growth,” said Shayle Kann, Senior Vice President at GTM Research. “And in the second half of this year through 2016, growth will reach new heights as a higher share of what comes online stems from projects procured purely based on centralized solar’s cost competitiveness.”

September 9, 2015 0 comment

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