Lighting the Way: The Top Ten States that Helped Drive America's Solar Energy Boom in 2013
This 51-page report from Environment Illinois and the Frontier Group examines solar deployment at the state level and finds that strong solar policies have driven deployment growth in the top solar states. The report highlights the ability of other states to follow these successes by implementing similar policies.
IREC's US Solar Market Trends Report 2014
IREC's annual US Solar Market Trends Report 2014 gathers and analyzes publicly available data for US solar installations by technology, state and market sector.
Survey of State-Level Cost and Benefit Estimates of Renewable Portfolio Standards
The report summarizes state-level RPS costs to date and considers how those costs may evolve going forward given scheduled increases in RPS targets and cost containment mechanisms incorporated into existing policies. The report also summarizes RPS benefits estimates, based on published studies for individual states, and discusses key methodological considerations.
International Energy Agency Releases PVPS Annual Report
The International Energy Agency has released its Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme (PVPS) Annual Report 2013, detailing solar market conditions and updating installation data for each of the 29 member countries. The report also provides updates on several joint tasks undertaken by the committee.
Report Details Solar Potential of LA Metro Area
The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) has partnered with the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs to produce a report detailing the impacts of climate change on communities in the LA metro area. The report also describes the potential for solar investment in each of the communities and the policies that help support that investment.
Fraunhofer Institute Explores LCOE of Renewable Technologies
Germany’s Fraunhofer institute recently released a report showing continued levalized cost of energy (LCOE) declines for photovoltaic (PV) technologies in Germany and for concentrating solar power (CSP) and concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) technologies in higher insolation areas outside of Germany.
Solar Homes Fetch Market Premium According to National Lab
A new study from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory finds that homes in California with rooftop solar installations sell for higher prices than comparable homes without solar. The authors find that the value of homes increases by $5,900 for every kW of solar installed, though this premium decreases by 9% per year of system age.
NREL Report Provides Most Granular View of Soft Costs to Date
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) recently released a report that breaks down the ‘soft costs’ associated with the installation of residential and commercial photovoltaic systems in greater detail than ever before, with detailed looks at customer acquisition and system design costs, as well as permitting, inspection and interconnection costs.
National Labs Find Continued PV Installed Price Declines in U.S.
A new briefing released from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) documents continued installed price declines in U.S. photovoltaic installations. The authors find price declines of 6-14% from 2011 to 2012, and 6-7% per year since 1998.
LBNL Releases Tracking the Sun VI
LBNL's Tracking the Sun VI is their annual summary of photovoltaic pricing, including installed pricing data from 1998-2012 with an early look at preliminary 2013 data.