Recently released SEIA Solar Means Business Report shows 2017 was the third largest year on record for new installations with 325MW deployed by large corporations. 5 of the top 25 corporate users were national retail chains led by Target which added over 40 MW of solar to its stores.

Amazon placed third for new installations in 2017 by adding 17.5 MW of on-site solar and aims to reach 50 fulfillment centers by 2020. Apple earned a spot on the top five with 17.4 MW for its new campus in Cupertino. Earlier this year, it reached its target of purchasing 100 percent renewable energy to match its consumption.

With 425 stores now installed, Target needs 75 more to reach its goal of 500 stores by 2020. It is the leading corporate user in the US with over 205MW deployed


Source: SEIA Solar Means Business report.

The average system size keeps increasing, driven by continued drops in PV pricing and the increased use of PPA’s to finance larger onsite systems.

While the phasing out of the Investment Tax Credit (ITC), combined with the tariff increases on imported modules will dampen the rate of adoption for a couple of years, the continued fall of modules prices as China and India drive global volume to new records, and the drop in price and increased sophistication of storage and its managing software will mitigate temporarily slowed demand in the US in both the utility scale market and the corporate market.

Supportive U.S. policy developments include FERC Order No. 841, which removes key regulatory barriers for electricity storage to participate in wholesale markets, and New York State’s target to deploy 1,500 MW by 2025, backed by more than $260 million of funding.
Source: Greentechmedia.com https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/new-york-efficiency-energy-storage-solar#gs.LRL5LoM and,
http://scipol.duke.edu/content/ferc-order-841-electric-storage-participation-wholesale-power-markets

Research firm HIS Markit forecasts 880 MW of behind the meter C&I battery storage to be installed in California by 2022.
Source: https://www.energy-storage.news/blogs/the-case-for-ci-storage-investigated

What it means for corporate projects in the 1MW to 20MW range is increased savings driving the value of integrated solutions.

On a current Staten bid, we are seeing a 21% increase in annual savings with the addition of a storage system which, after all incentives and SGIP are factored in, will cost the customer 14% of the original purchase price.

Douglas Hull
Director of Marketing
Staten Solar

For more information, email douglas@statensolar.com or call 408-780-2889