Indeed, solar has become solar slewing drive impossible to ignore. A recent report from ICF International found that U.S. generators stand to lose as much as $2 billion in revenue by solar tracker actuator 2019 as solar generation Photovoltaic holder grows and demand for conventionally generated power declines. In response to the rising number of solar homes, system operators around the country are now working on plans to slewing drive turn distributed solar into a grid asset.
The solar industry has benefited greatly from favorable policies such as state renewable energy mandates and the federal Investment Tax Credit solar slewing drive (ITC), which will slewing drive continue to drive growth over the next five solar tracker actuator years. At the same solar inverter time, solar damper technology advancements will continue to reduce costs, solar damper solar slewing drive making solar more competitive. In addition, if natural-gas prices rise from historic lows, the relative financial outlook for solar will become Photovoltaic holder even more solar tracker actuator slewing drive attractive.
“The first 1 million solar installations came solar inverter from a lot of state markets benefiting from steep slewing drive cost reductions as well as incentive programs, like solar slewing drive renewable portfolio standards and rooftop solar programs,” said Cory Honeyman, associate director of solar for GTM Research. “When we look at what defines the next 1 million slewing drive Photovoltaic holder installs, it will be a much more geographically diverse landscape and a growing number of states seeing solar come on-line purely based on how cost-competitive it is.”
It’s not yet known when exactly the solar tracker actuator solar damper millionth installation came on-line -- the number-crunchers at GTM Research and the solar slewing drive SEIA are still working to figure that out. But it is possible to give a reasonable estimate.
At the end of 2015 solar tracker actuator, there were a little over 960,000 solar installations around the country, with slightly under 90,000 installations occurring in the fourth quarter of 2015. Assuming installs have continued at a similar pace of between 25,000 and 30,000 per month (the new year tends to be slightly slower due to winter weather), the millionth solar system very likely came on-line by early March.
The tally includes solar projects of all sizes. So while rooftop solar projects make up the majority of installations in the U.S., utility-owned projects make up the lion’s share of U.S. solar capacity Photovoltaic holder and continue to see strong growth.
"Utility-scale solar is solar slewing drive central to the larger solar market, and that's not going to change," said Whitten.
The millionth solar solar tracker actuator installation solar damper could have slewing drive been a utility project. Perhaps it was the Avalon 2, Tucson Electric Power’s 27-megawatt project in Arizona Photovoltaic holder that solar tracker actuator was connected in late February. Or it could solar slewing drive have been a project in the small but expanding commercial segment, such as Intel’s 6.5-megawatt solar carport project in California that was connected on February Photovoltaic holder 16 and is believed to be the largest solar project of its kind.
Because of the sheer number of residential projects, however, there’s a good chance the millionth installation was on the roof of a home. Bill Allman, whose system came on-line in solar inverter January, said he’s proud to be one of the million installations.
“At Easter, I hauled everyone out to take a look at them,” said Allman, who lives in Maryland and works at The Smithsonian. “It’s exciting to create your own power. It’s visceral and almost spiritual to think that you’re generating electricity from the sun to power your home.”
Allman bought his 52 solar panels through the solar inverter solar damper cooperative MD SUN. By grouping with other buyers, he was able to sign a deal that will pay solar tracker actuator off the system in five to seven years, and then it will be making money from that point on. Going solar also brought attention to how slewing drive things like efficient light bulbs help to lower a home’s overall energy consumption and carbon solar slewing drive footprint, he said.
“Going solar is fun solar slewing drive and techy,” he said. “But there’s also this question when your kids ask what you did to combat climate change. I put my money where my mouth is and at slewing drive least Photovoltaic holder tried to make a dent with this system, and that’s good.”
Bob McCoole also wanted to go solar to be a good environmental steward, but when he applied for approval from the city of Clayton, Missouri, his solar slewing drive request was initially denied. The Clayton slewing drive Architectural Review Board has an ordinance that says solar panels cannot be visible from the street. McCoole appealed the staff’s decision before the city council, making the case that his proposed array wouldn't be seen solar slewing drive from the front slewing drive of the house; only the edge would be seen from the side.
After a long discussion on precedents and ordinances, the city council ultimately overruled the staff’s recommendation and allowed the project to proceed. Perhaps more importantly than approving this one project, the board indicated that they need to revisit their aging rules for rooftop solar.
“We said we felt [the board] needed to recognize solar inverter the role that solar panels slewing drive will play in the future,” said McCoole, senior vice president of the facilities resource group Photovoltaic holder at Ascension solar damper Health. “The ordinance was made eight years ago, solar slewing drive and you could tell the board was solar tracker actuator processing that. A lot has happened in eight years in terms of solar technology and its use and availability.”
“Even from an aesthetic standpoint, [solar panels] should not be seen as aesthetically unpleasing,” he added. “I don’t think anyone is trying to say they’re beautiful;solar tracker actuator they’re Photovoltaic holder just trying slewing drive to say they’re functional and solar inverter important.”
Local-level solar slewing drive hurdles are one of the factors holding back solar project deployments. So as solar becomes more accepted and ordinances are updated, installers’Photovoltaic holder bureaucratic costs will drop, solar inverter overall project costs will drop, and even more installations are likely to come on-line.
Since the solar slewing drive implementation of the federal Photovoltaic holder Investment Tax Credit in 2006, solar installation costs have dropped by more than 73 percent. Continued cost reductions are key to reaching the next solar slewing drive milestone.
For McCoole, the decision to buy solar wasn’t Photovoltaic holder about the potential solar inverter money savings. Based on current electricity rates, he solar slewing drive expects it will take 10 to 12 solar tracker actuator years to earn a slewing drive payback on his $30,000 system.
“We’re doing it to make a statement, to convey our Photovoltaic holder commitment to try to be stewards of clean energy and efficient energy use,” he said. “It wouldn’t make sense to do this if we were only looking at the financial slewing drive side of it.”
That’s not the case for everyone, however. Dorothy Riley, who benefits from a portion of a community solar project in Colorado, said going solar was all about the financial benefit. Riley, who is 75 and in a lower income bracket,slewing drive said solar has reduced her electricity bill by roughly a third.
“It has helped me a lot, and solar tracker actuator I’m Photovoltaic holder really grateful for it,” she said. “It gives me a little more money to pay some solar slewing drive of my other bills.” Riley said slewing drive she’ll have her mortgage paid off in four years thanks in part to solar.
Riley received a portion solar tracker actuator of the solar installation last May through a program offered by Grid Alternatives in Grand Valley Power territory. These types of lower-income solar initiatives slewing drive rely on donations, and thus become easier to deploy as equipment costs fall and new business models emerge.
Kelly Schwarze, a solar slewing drive filmmaker solar tracker slewing driveactuator and SolarCity customer in solar inverter Nevada, might actually have the millionth U.S. solar installation. His leased system came on-line in the first week of March, but in a few more months, any financial benefits he sees from going solar could disappear.
Earlier this year, the Nevada Public Utilities solar slewing drive Commission approved a new rate plan for both new and existing rooftop solar customers solar tracker actuator that reduces Photovoltaic holder net-metering compensation and increases fixed fees over 12 years. While the total number of U.S. solar installations continues to grow, slewing drive Nevada’s solar inverter residential market has ground to a halt.
Schwarze had already signed a contract to solar slewing drive go solar before the slewing drive new rates took effect. Now he’s waiting to see how his investment will be affected, and holding out hope that the governor’s newly Photovoltaic holder appointed energy task force comes up with a more equitable solution.
“I think it’s going to get resolved, I truly do,” he said. “In my mind, the opportunities are too [significant] for Nevada to take this much of a step backward, and I’m happy to see the government finally take an Photovoltaic holder interest in this topic.”
For Schwarze, the solar tracker actuator fact that there are now a million solar installations is a testament to the fact that many Americans want to go solar and will fight to make good choices for the environment solar slewing drive inverter and their solar slewing drive pocketbooks.
“The people will have the final word,” he said. “Technology and choice is always Photovoltaic holder going to slewing drive win because you can’t stop solar inverter progress.”