SEIA Resources
Reports
SEIA produces a variety of research and other supporting resources for the solar industry, ranging from full reports to short factsheets. Below is a list of our reports, organized by date. For a full library of research and resources, click here.
50 States of Solar Q3 2015
NC Clean Energy Technology Center and Meister Consultants Group released the Q3 2015 edition of 50 States of Solar. This report covers state level distributed solar policy across the country. The largest amount of state policy changes was due to residential fixed charge increases at 26 actions across 18 states. Following this were alterations to net metering policies with 22 actions across 19 states.Some of the key policy developments in Q3 2015 are as follows:1. Utility-Led Rooftop Solar Expands2. California faces uncertainty with net metering
Utility-Scale Solar 2014: An Empirical Analysis of Project Cost, Performance, and Pricing Trends in the United States
This report by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory draws on the expanding amount of empirical data to conduct analysis of the utility-scale sector.
Is Clean Energy Conservative? - Clear Path Poll
The ClearPath Foundation conducted a poll in August 2015 that analyzes whether Republicans support clean energy and action on climate. The poll found that 72% of Republicans favor speeding up clean energy deployment and 73% of registered voters think the climate is changing and at least partially caused by human activity.
Solar Market Insight Report 2015 Q2
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 September 9, 2015.
Renewable Electricity Use by the U.S. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Industry
From the Executive Summary:
Tracking the Sun VIII
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) released Tracking the Sun VIII, the Department of Energy’s report on the price of grid-connected solar photovoltaic systems. Data points were collected from 400,000 individual PV systems or 81% of all U.S. PV capacity installed through 2014. Key findings include:
IEA Photovoltaic Power Systems Program Annual Report 2014
The International Energy Agency (IEA), an autonomous part of the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development, released their 2014 annual report on Photovoltaic Power Systems Program (PVPS).IEA reports that the development and adaptation of PV outpaced all predictions. Another year brings the worldwide cumulative installed capacity to 180 GW – with 40 GW installed during 2014 alone.
Net Metering and Market Feedback Loops: Exploring the Impact of Retail Rate Design on Distributed PV Deployment
The advent of net metering has spurred growth in the PV market by allowing PV users to sell excess electricity back to the grid at retail price. This study examines two feedback loops caused by net metering. A positive feedback loop is created due to increased DG solar leading to under-recovery of fixed costs by the utility and thus higher retail electricity prices. A negative feedback loop is made because increased PV deployment leads to a shift in the timing of peak pricing to where solar is less cost efficient, raising solar user’s bills.
The Impact of Solar Powered Oil Production on California's Economy
This ICF International report provides an economic analysis of Innovative Crude Production Methods under the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS). The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has proposed to re-adopt the LCFS, reaffirming its original target of a 10 percent reduction in the carbon intensity of transportation fuels used in California by 2020 and subsequent years.
BNEF: New Energy Outlook 2015
The New Energy Outlook (NEO) is Bloomberg New Energy Finance’s annual long-term global forecast for the future of energy. Focused on the electricity system, NEO combines the expertise of over 65 in-house country and technology-level specialists in 11 countries to provide a unique assessment of how the market will evolve.