Overall, the transition out of fossil fuels and into electrification continues at a rapid pace and, for distributed solar in particular, the future looks bright.  Not without clouds and daunting regulation obstacles, but shiny nonetheless.

There will be pockets with temporary adjustments for residential and small commercial solar according to Paula Mints, founder and chief market research analyst of solar market research firm SPV Market Research, but no slowing in overall demand:

“Investment in the distributed generation of things where net metering is offered as an incentive is really driving the demand side…. The trend in the U.S. led by utilities and states — despite the Trump administration’s dislike of solar and other renewables — is to increase the deployment of solar and other renewables,”

Source: https://cleantechnica.com/2018/05/28/positive-solar-market-development-in-the-us-even-in-times-of-import-tariffs/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+IM-cleantechnica+%28CleanTechnica%29

 

An observation borne by the fact that a majority of states now claim a minimum of 100 MW in their energy mix. 32 currently, up from 20 two

years ago. And, most telling, that 12 of those states now source a majority of their solar energy from distributed solar (the green pies bigger than half in the map above).

 

Source: https://ilsr.org/the-states-of-distributed-solar/?utm_source=Energy+Self-Reliant+States&utm_campaign=8ef1a368d1-Energy_Self_Reliant_States_1_12_151_8_2015&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_86e661ed1e-8ef1a368d1-82758537

 

California may be the overall leader in total solar wattage produced (close to 16,000 MW, 41 percent of which comes from small scale sources), but it is New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts who lead in distributed solar as a percent of total solar.

 

 

In laggard states where policy favors incumbent utilities rather than residents and local businesses, like Florida, Georgia and Alabama, solar is not growing despite the abundance of sunshine…

The reason distributed solar will prevail is simple, it is the most distributed renewable resource. Sunshine is democratic, it falls everywhere.  Distributed solar has an inherent economic advantage over utility scale solar, lower transmission costs and lower energy losses.

As the grid transforms, willingly or through political rebellion, electric customers become producers and achieve a position to reap additional benefits in the form of revenues from excess power generated sold on the open market. With the cost of storage dropping, customers are regaining power long ago relinquished to the utility companies.

The trend favors distributed. Local energy rules….

That is the name of a good podcast incidentally.

Source: https://ilsr.org/local-energy-rules-podcast-homepage/

Staten, along with other progressive renewable energy companies on the leading edge of the grid, see community solar successes in NY and Minnesota as models with immediate applications for local businesses.

For more information about customized strategjes to permanently reduce energy costs, call Staten’s Sales Manager, Scott Dubois,

408-780-2889, or email him at scott@statensolar.com