Community Solar Sean Gallagher Vice President, State Affairs SEIA May 10, 2017
GTM’s Community Solar Outlook 2017 Summary • GTM Research estimates that 218 MW of community solar installations came on- line in 2016, representing fourfold growth over 2015. • Led by materialization of Minnesota (42 MWdc) and Massachusetts (41 MWdc) pipelines, and short term burst in California • According to GTM Research’s latest solar report , 410 megawatts of community solar will be installed in the U.S. in 2017 . • Beyond 2016, the utility- led community (e.g. “green tariff”) solar market will expand outside of California, as more than 150 utilities across the U.S. now have a community solar program in place or in development . • Between 2017 and 2021, GTM expects the third-party-led community solar to add 1.8 GWdc, but more than 90% of that projection is driven by just the top five major state markets: Colorado, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota and New York. • Community solar is expected to become a half-gigawatt annual market by 2019 , and account for nearly one-fourth of the U.S. non-residential PV market over the next five years. June 12, 2017 www.seia.org 2
Community Solar: A Sweet Spot? • Pros: • Expands solar access to more customers • Sized & priced like utility-scale projects, but can allow for direct customer participation • Has drawn interest from all segments of the solar industry, from rooftop companies to utility-scale developers • But most community solar projects remain driven by state legislation and/or regulatory programs • 14 states & DC have adopted shared or community solar programs • Leaders thru 2016: California, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Colorado, Utah • Leaders 2017 – 2021: Colorado, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York • Virginia • New community solar program passed in early 2017 is an example of what GTM calls “utility - led” and is often referred to as “green tariff” June 12, 2017 3
Recommend
More recommend
