Solar Market Insight Report 2013 Year in Review
U.S. Solar Market Insight™ is a collaboration between the Solar Energy Industries Association® (SEIA®) and GTM Research that brings high-quality, solar-specific analysis and forecasts to industry professionals in the form of quarterly and annual reports. Released March 5, 2014.
Fraunhofer Institute Explores LCOE of Renewable Technologies
Germany’s Fraunhofer institute recently released a report showing continued levalized cost of energy (LCOE) declines for photovoltaic (PV) technologies in Germany and for concentrating solar power (CSP) and concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) technologies in higher insolation areas outside of Germany.
Solar Homes Fetch Market Premium According to National Lab
A new study from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory finds that homes in California with rooftop solar installations sell for higher prices than comparable homes without solar. The authors find that the value of homes increases by $5,900 for every kW of solar installed, though this premium decreases by 9% per year of system age.
NREL Report Provides Most Granular View of Soft Costs to Date
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) recently released a report that breaks down the ‘soft costs’ associated with the installation of residential and commercial photovoltaic systems in greater detail than ever before, with detailed looks at customer acquisition and system design costs, as well as permitting, inspection and interconnection costs.
Study Shows Reduction in U.S. PV Installation Labor Costs Possible
A new study from the Rocky Mountain Institute and the Georgia Tech Research Institute finds that U.S PV installation labor costs can be decreased from $0.49/watt to $0.29/watt by utilizing installation best practices. Researchers studied installation practices at 26 sites in the U.S. and Germany to determine current practices and future opportunities.
Rocky Mountain Institute Examines Distributed Solar PV Cost/Benefit Studies
In its review of 15 distributed solar PV benefit and cost studies, the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) finds significant variability in estimated distributed PV values, owing to differences in methodology, local context, and input assumptions. RMI highlights areas in which consensus and standardization could be established to allow for better comparison between studies.
California Solar Initiative 2013 Annual Program Assessment
In July 2013, the CPUC issued its annual report on the progress of the California Solar Initiative, showing that the program has installed 66 percent of its total goal, with another 19 percent reserved in pending projects. This equals an estimated 1,629 megawatts (MW) of installed solar capacity at 167,878 customer sites in the investor-owned utility territories through the end of the first quarter of 2013, enough to power approximately 150,000 homes and avoid building three power plants.
Favorable Permitting Practices Can Reduce PV Costs 4%-12%
A recent Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory report finds that streamlined city permitting practices can reduce the cost of installed PV systems by $0.27-$0.77 per watt, relative to cities with less favorable permitting standards. Development times can be shorted by an average of 24 days, under favorable permitting standards.
40% of U.S. Supermarkets at Grid-Parity for Installed PV
A recent NREL report finds that in 2011, 17% of U.S supermarkets were in utility territories where PV could be installed at or below the cost of traditional generation. In 2012, they estimate that this percentage increased to 40%. The report is NREL’s first step in examining PV grid-parity at all big-box retailers.
2013 Policy Priorities- Federal & State
In 2013, the Solar Energy Industries Association is working at the federal and state levels to expand markets, remove market barriers, and increase available financing for solar projects.