Michigan

CEA’s Michael Whatley discusses how New Hampshire can best implement policies that can promote the growth of solar energy while being cost-effective for consumers and protecting the grid.

Solar energy has the power to spark a dramatic change in the way energy is harvested and consumed. It is renewable, clean, reliable, and is increasingly affordable. Each of these benefits are allowing solar power to take on a larger part of America’s electricity mix, which is certainly good for New Hampshire. Since rooftop solar has become commercially available, New Hampshire residents, lawmakers and regulators have sought to unleash the power of the sun by installing solar systems and creating policies that encourage the proliferation of solar technology.

Read more – New Hampshire Union Leader

There are four principal ways solar energy is deployed in the country: universal or utility-scale solar, community solar, private residential solar, and private third-party leased. Solar power is growing across the country, but what does the different terminology mean? Universal Solar – A large solar plant that provides the benefit of fixed-priced electricity during peak demand periods when electricity is the most expensive. They can utilize several different types of solar technologies including concentrating solar power (CSP), photovoltaics (PV), or concentrating photovoltaics (CPV). According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, there are over 3.6 GW (gigawatts) of large, utility-scale solar plants in the U.S. with significant construction underway. Options like community solar are expanding around the country to offer customers the opportunity to buy shares of a large-scale, universal solar project if they are unable to put a system on their residence or if they rent their home or apartment. Universal or utility-scale solar is the easiest, fastest, and most cost-effective way for everyone to experience the benefits of solar energy due to its economy of scale. Community Solar – These facilities are built by third-party developers, municipalities, Rural Electric Coops, and other larger Investor-Owned Utilities. They often don’t exceed five megawatts. Community solar is most beneficial to urban dwellers, renters, small businesses, households, and local governments who want to participate in using solar energy but cannot due to a number of reasons, which may include: they rent/lease their property; their homes or businesses are excessively shaded or the orientation of their roofs or property makes installing solar panels uneconomic. Via programs like virtual (or group) net metering or direct power purchase agreements (PPAs) with a solar developer members of community solar programs can receive credit for solar power generated by residential, commercial, or municipal solar systems. By opting in to this system, everyone shares the costs and the benefits without ever having to wholly own a private facility. Even large-scale utility arrays are offering buy-ins to their programs so these same individuals and organizations can reap the benefits and help solar flourish in their community or their state. Private Solar – These are solar installations that are physically owned by customers and residents who pay for the upfront costs and installation. There are a host of incentive programs at the federal, state, and local level for many of these customers to help defray the costs and in many cases offer substantial paybacks over the system’s life. All residential customers that own private solar can receive a federal tax credit equal to 30 percent of the solar facility’s installed cost. In addition, many customers receive one or more of the following incentives:

• State income tax credits and/or deductions,
• State and/or local sales and/or property tax exemptions,
• State renewable energy payments or rebates,
• State Public Service Commission (PSC)-approved incentives provided by the utilities they regulate; and importantly
• Private solar credit programs like “net metering” where generated power is used on-site (typically from the rooftop of a house or business), and excess power is fed into the public energy grid and purchased by the energy company from the private customer on a per-kilowatt-hour basis

Third-party leased – This is where individuals, businesses, or municipalities can finance the cost of private solar energy development, based primarily on two models. A private customer can sign a traditional lease and pay for the use of a solar system or the customer can sign a power purchase agreement (PPA) to pay a specific rate for the energy that is generated each month. When a customer utilizes this model they are in essence transferring their incentives to a leasing company who handle the upfront costs of installing the system. Leasing companies also generate additional financial incentives through the tax code with the ability to accelerate the depreciation of business expenses.

As part of Consumer Energy Alliance’s (CEA) Solar Energy Future campaign, the organization today released a new report, “Incentivizing Solar Energy: An In-Depth Analysis of U.S. Solar Incentives,” that provides a comprehensive quantification of solar incentives available for U.S. energy consumers. The report analyzes the cost for a typical solar facility in 15 states and details the federal, state, and local incentives available for rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV). No previous analysis has ever quantified this data. Among the report’s key findings: • Existing Incentives For Residential Solar PV Are Significant • Third Party-Owned Solar PV Facilities Receive Significant Incentives • Existing Incentives May Change the Economics of Future Investments in Solar • The NEM Incentive Shifts Costs onto Less Affluent Customers • Incentives For Residential Solar PV Vary Widely Among The States The report also found that government incentives, combined with utility offered incentives, have reduced residential customers’ net costs of installing rooftop solar systems to record-low levels. These reductions are now so significant that, in many states, total incentives are greater than a solar system’s total costs. In light of these dramatic cost reductions, many states are re-examining the scope and methods surrounding their incentive programs and are now considering programs that rely more on a competitive marketplace to provide the economically optimal levels of rooftop solar adoption. “As the technology continues to advance, solar energy is becoming an even more incredibly powerful and cost-competitive technology that has the potential to change the face of American energy both today and in the future,” said Michael Whatley, Executive Vice President of CEA. “Solar brings with it tremendous benefits for all consumers. Solar’s deployment has been truly remarkable as growth rates have exceeded 40% a year for the past five years.” Whatley added: “As solar energy continues to progress as a larger slice of America’s all-of-the-above energy pie, we hope that CEA’s new report will help yield pro-solar, pro-grid and pro-consumer policies to ensure the proliferation of solar technology, the continued efficiency of a robust electric grid, and increased access to clean, renewable, affordable, and reliable energy sources for all American consumers.” The report analyzed the incentives for solar in a cross section of states including Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and North Carolina. This report relies on public data and a relatively analytical, conservative approach to quantify the most common incentives for solar energy. To review the full results of this analysis and a copy of the report, please visit solarenergyfuture.org. To read the executive summary, please click here. For the full report, please click here.

Utah’s Rocky Mountain Power customers could end up paying more directly for power generated by their neighbors’ solar panels under the terms of the company’s recent settlement with the solar industry. The settlement has been praised for preserving, at least for now, most of the financial credits that customers with rooftop solar arrays receive from Rocky Mountain Power when they generate surplus electricity. Consumer Energy Alliance’s James Voyles praised ongoing negotiation.

James Voyles, policy counsel for the Washington D.C.-based group, said its Utah members haven’t come down strongly on either side of the recent settlement. Some of Utah businesses within its ranks approve of the new charges, Voyles said, while others oppose them. Voyles nonetheless praised attempts to negotiate the settlement. “It is our hope,” he said, ”that all parties involved keep the most important stakeholder in mind — families and businesses.”

Read more – The Salt Lake Tribune

The renewable energy industry is booming and full of thousands of vacant jobs ready for the taking. In fact, the single largest expected demand in jobs is more specifically in the solar sector of the renewable energy industry. This has led many high school students, and those just beginning college, to seriously consider tailoring their education to best prepare them for a job in this field. So, what are the top five STEM-related careers in the solar energy industry, what does the job entail, and what annual salary can employees expect to receive?

• Materials Engineer
• Field Service Technician
• Technical Sales of Photovoltaic Systems
• Solar Site Assessor
• Solar Installer

Materials Engineer The solar industry is constantly looking for better designs of both modules, as well as inverters and wiring to best convert sunlight into electricity for consumers. To do this, a materials engineer must experiment with new types of materials, as well as existing types of materials in new configuration. As these materials drop in price, they become more cost effective overall, and can be more widely adopted. Most materials engineering positions require at least a bachelor’s degree in materials science or a related field. The average salary of a materials engineer is just over $86,000. Field Service Technician A field service technician in the solar industry is responsible for responding to calls about a malfunctioning solar system. The most common issue they will encounter is a malfunctioning inverter, which will either need to be reset or replaced entirely. The demand for this job is growing just as quickly as more solar arrays are completed around the country. Most field service technicians can acquire this job with either a two-year associate’s degree or a certificate program. All technicians should have a strong background in electrical work. The average salary for a field service technician in the solar industry varies by region but can be as high as $62,000. Technical Sales of Photovoltaic Systems Selling solar may be complicated as it is a product unlike many others. This means that solar sales associates must acquire training in both marketing and the underlying engineering of the product. A bachelor’s degree in marketing with a minor in either engineering or another science is usually the most sought after, as these employees will need to explain complicated topics in layman’s terms. Most technical sales jobs are located in areas where there is renewable portfolio standard mandating a certain percentage of energy in the state come from renewables. The salary for a technical sales associate can range from $65,000 – $106,000 depending on specific job incentives. Solar Site Assessor Before a solar array ever comes online, there needs to be someone who can properly assess if a proposed site or rooftop is an amenable location to solar. They will perform tasks such as site visits and complete computer generated designs of solar arrays, in hopes of giving the client a better idea of what they can expect from a solar system at their location. Most solar site assessors can receive this position with either a certificate in a computer drafting program or a two-year associate’s degree. The average salary for a solar site assessor is around $40,000. Solar Installer Installers of solar modules have the single highest job growth projection of any career in the United States. It is estimated that the position will grow up to 105% in the next eight years. The job entails traveling to installation sites and properly securing modules on the mounting system, either on the ground or on a rooftop. Most installation jobs require no formal college degree and instead rely on on-the-job training. The average salary for a solar installer is roughly $40,000.  

SNL Financial covered CEA’s solar incentive analysis and media call with Michael Whatley.

Incentives for residential solar PV facilities are substantial, but vary widely among states, according to a new analysis from the Consumer Energy Alliance, a group that advocates on behalf of energy consumers, industry and energy producers.

Read more – SNL Financial