U.S. Solar Capacity Grew 418 Percent In The Last Four Years

[ProSense]

U.S. Solar Capacity Grew 418 Percent In The Last Four Years

By Kiley Kroh

Solar energy is booming across the U.S., with capacity up an astounding 418 percent in the last four years alone, according to data released this week by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).

Residential and commercial rooftop solar, along with other forms of photovoltaic (PV), have grown steadily over the past four years, specifically those that are net-metered. When customers install their own solar panels in states with a net metering policy, they are compensated for the excess electricity they send back to the grid. According to the EIA, these net metered applications have increased every year by approximately 1,100 MW since 2010. California currently has the largest net metered solar capacity with 38 percent of the nation’s total. Not far behind are New Jersey and Massachusetts, which together represent 21 percent of the total capacity in the U.S.



Net metering has been at the center of several recent battles between the solar industry, consumers and utilities across the U.S. As rooftop solar in particular booms, utility companies are growing increasingly concerned about the threat it poses to their bottom line. As more customers install solar panels, utilities will sell fewer units of energy and argue they’ll have to charge more in order to cover the cost of maintenance and labor. But distributed energy sources like rooftop solar also provide a benefit to utilities by generating during peak hours, when a utility has to provide electricity to more people than at other times during the day and energy costs are at their highest. Solar panels feed excess energy back to the grid, helping to alleviate the pressure during peak demand. In addition, because less electricity is being transmitted to customers through transmission lines, it saves utilities on the wear and tear to the lines and cost of replacing them with new ones.

The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), the shadowy conservative group funded by fossil fuel corporations and petrochemical billionaires Charles and David Koch, has set its sights on weakening net metering laws across the country. Net metering survived attacks in Colorado and Kansas and Vermont increased its policy in a bipartisan effort. Last year, Arizona added what amounts to a $5 per month surcharge for solar customers, a move that was widely seen as a compromise, particularly after ALEC and other Koch-backed groups got involved.

- more -

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/04/24/3430258/us-solar-capacity-418-percent/

[BeyondGeography]

1. They're all hands-off until it's time to protect their environmentally inferior product

and their increasingly threatened profits. Screwing the little guy, too, which could finally get the Koch Brothers on the average voter's radar in a major way. Big issue.

[Benton D Struckcheon]

2. Makes no sense for the utilities to fight this.

As pointed out, solar works best on the days when peak demand is being generated. Commercial customers don't face getting cut off because everyone's using their A/C. So, on those days they get to actually meet that demand with no problem, and get to keep their biggest customers happy. Seems to me everyone should be satisfied with that outcome.
One thing I've noticed going through the production stats, which makes sense but is kind of interesting: wind peaks in the winter and early spring, while of course solar peaks in late spring and summer. They're actually nicely complementary, which is cool.