Residential PV

In a state whose governor is staunchly anti-renewable energy, more than 25 municipal projects have been built and an island is pushing for energy independence by 2030.

The bill will increased the state’s renewable portfolio standard to 40% by 2030 and mandated additional energy storage, but the failure to lift net metering caps is expected to hobble mid-sized solar installations.

A report issued by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association shows rapid PV growth in less than a decade in co-ops.

GTM Research projects that residential batteries and other energy storage systems will be coupled with solar in 9 of 10 storage deployments by 2023. Additionally, the firm projects that residential solar power costs will fall below $2/W by this date.

New England’s behind the meter solar hit maximum generation at 2 GW this summer and contributed to lowering peak load and shifting peak demand to later in the day during this summer’s heat waves. This in turn allowed for lower utilization of older coal and oil resources.

RGS Energy, manufacturer of the Powerhouse 3.0 solar shingle system, has passed UL tests for Class A Fire. Additionally, since June 28, 2018, Powerhouse has received an additional $24 million in ‘written reservations.’

Sunrun’s initial solar power loan securitization, vintage July 2015, hit its three year mark with 110 solar assets having defaulted out of the 7,893 solar assets at closing, representing $2.4 million and 1.6% of the portfolio.

The three bills introduced in the City Council would require new buildings to host solar PV, small wind turbines or “green roofs” of plant covering, however rooftop solar still faces unique barriers in the city.

PG&E has filed an interim report on customer-sited behind-the-meter smart inverters. The utility sees strong potential benefit for the grid with this technology, but says more standardization and reliable communication protocols must be established before a broad roll-out can occur.

In this op-ed for pv magazine, Bentham Paulos examines how Philadelphia is using Solarize to bring the benefits of solar to low-income residents.