Solar PV as a Distributed Resource
This page includes economic and market reports on PV initially assembled for the Massachusetts DG Collaborative. Other reports on renewable energy technolgies for distributed energy planning are available at:
The following sources are not date-specific:
- DOE and NREL sites with links to grid support studies:
- IEA Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme (PVPS)
- Website of Professor Richard Perez at SUNY Albany with data on PV load matching and economic evaluation, and PV to address power outages.
- Data on kWh generation from MA installations of solar PV
- Proforma cash flow worksheet for PV projects at: masstech.org/cleanenergy/cando/howto.htm
- For current expectations about Masachusetts rebate levels, see the "Rebate Matrix" in the solicitation for Large Onsite Renewables Initiative (LORI) or for Small Renewables Initiative (SRI).
You may also search the documents listed on this web page and the other DG Collaboration pages by clicking here and changing the first word(s) in Google's search box.
The files below are listed by date and are pdf unless otherwise noted.
- August 2008 -- Massachusetts Renewable Energy Potential, Navigant Consulting, with introductory paper by Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources
- June 2008 -- The Economics of Solar Power, P. Lorenz et. al., The McKinsey Quarterly
- March 31, 2008 -- Impacts of DG on Wholesale Electric Prices and Air Emissions in Massachusetts, by M. Drunsic et. al., Synapse Energy Economics, prepared for Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (see results for 250 MW of MA solar PV)
- September 2007 -- PV Capacity Workshop: Moving Toward Consensus on a Capacity Methodology for PV Generation, R. Perez et.al.
- July 2007 -- The Impact of Retail Rate Structures on the Economics of Commercial Photovoltaic Systems in California, Wiser et al, LBNL-63019
- June 2007 -- Boston MA named 2007 Solar America City: DOE to Provide up to $2.5 Million to Implement Solar Energy Technologies
- May 2007 -- What Can the U.S. Learn from European Feed-In Tariffs?, Wilson Rickerson, IREC Telephone Seminar
- May 2007 -- Estimates of the Benefits of Expanded CHP and Solar Capacity in MA, Derek Murrow, Environment Northeast
- April 2007 draft -- PV-specific selections from: Assumptions and Preliminary Results, by ISO-NE for Scenario Analysis Stakeholder Working Group (including economic and environmental impacts of increased PV)
- For info on PV Profiles: Final Scenario Analysis Modeling Assumptions (pdf)
- For final version of complete document, with info on PV and other sources: August 2007 -- New England Electricity Scenario Analysis Report (web page)
- For more info: 2007 -- ISO-NE Scenario Analysis Stakeholder Working Group Materials
- April 19, 2007 -- PSE&G Marks Earth Day with a Bold New Plan Designed to Spur Investment in Solar Energy in NJ
- April 17, 2007 -- Governor Patrick Announces New Manufacturing Plant for Evergreen Solar, Plan to Boost Clean Energy, Jobs; Evergreen Solar and NSTAR Announce Alliance to Spur Interest in Solar Energy (pdf with multiple press releases and articles)
- March 2007 -- Gaia Power Technologies Partners with SCE on Residential Solar Systems (RE storage and demand response)
- January 2007 -- Solar Boston Proposal, City of Boston, Office of the Mayor, Environmental and Energy Services
- January 2007 -- New York City’s Solar Energy Future, Part II: Solar Energy Policies and Barriers in New York City, by The Center for Sustainable Energy at Bronx Community College for The City University of New York’s Million Solar Roofs Initiative
- 2007 -- Rate Design: Key to a Self-Sufficient Solar Market, JP Ross
- December 2006 -- Photovoltaic Incentive Design Handbook, T.E. Hoff, Clean Power Research, NREL/SR-640-40845
- December 2006 -- Integration Experience of PV Power Systems in Sub-Urban and Remote Mini-grids, Konrad Mauch et.al., CANMET Energy Technology Centre, Natural Resources Canada
- October 2006 -- Brockton Brightfields PV Project, Lori Ribeiro
- March 2006 -- The Value of Distributed PV to Austin Energy and the City of Austin
- 2006 -- What the Solar Power Industry Can Learn from Google and Salesforce.com, J. Klein (Topline Strategy Group) and R. Erlichman (Sunlight Electric)
- 2006 -- Massachusetts Surprising Candidate for Solar Power Leadership, Topline Strategy Group
- Summer 2006 -- Integrated Utility-Driven Solar PV: Key to Keeping Clean Distributed Resources in the Race to Meet Carbon-Reduction Goals, Jill K. Cliburn and Chris Robertson, Electric Solar Utility Network, ACEEE Summer Study 2006
- May 2006 -- Ultimate Potential for PV, NREL
- April 2006 -- Analysis of Solar PV Systems for Intermittent Resource Capacity Treatment in Forward Capacity Auction, Steve Wiese, Conservation Services Group
- March 2006 -- Estimating the Value of Distributed Energy Storage to California in Combination with Solar Photovoltaics: Market Investigation, Preliminary Analysis and Recommendations for Further Research, K. Lynn, Electric Power Research Institute
- March 2006 -- The Economic Value of EPAct 2005's PV Tax Credits, Bolinger, Wiser and Ing, LBL-59928
- February 2006 -- The Case for Installing Solar Electricity: A Guide for Massachusetts Businesses, prepared by SEBANE for MTC
- See also the draft of the associated proforma cash flow worksheet for such DG projects. For any updates, please check: masstech.org/cleanenergy/cando/howto.htm
- For current expectations about rebate levels, see the "Rebate Matrix" in the solicitation for Large Onsite Renewables Initiative (LORI) or for Small Renewables Initiative (SRI)
- January 2006 -- A Review of PV Inverter Technology Cost and Performance Projections, Navigant Consulting Inc., NREL/SR-620-38771
- January 2006 -- The Market for PV Systems in New York City, Center for Sustainable Energy, Bronx Community College
- January 2006 -- Designing for Uninteruptible Power: Opportunities for Battery-Based PV Systems, Jim Dunlop, The Energy Chronicle
- December 2005 -- Clean and Diversified Energy Initiative Solar Task Force Report, Western Governors’ Association
- December 2005 -- The Incremental Costs and Benefits of Green Schools in Massachusetts, by HMFH Architects, Inc. and Vermont Energy Investment Corp.
- November 2005 -- National Review of Green Schools:
Costs, Benefits, and Implications for Massachusetts, by Capital E - August 2005 -- Economics of Solar Power for CA, B. Cinnamon et. al., Akeena Solar
- June 2005 -- Moving Toward a More Comprehensive Framework to Evaluate Disteributed PV, and Maximizing the Value of Customer-Sited PV Systems Using Storage and Controls, Hoff et al, Clean Power Research, NREL Contract AAD-2-31904-03
- July 2005 -- Using the Internet to Reduce Market Risk for Alternative Energy Sourcs: The Case of Large-Scale PV, J. Pearce, firstmonday.org
- April 2005 -- calculations of value of PV in CA (see links to other sources)
- February 2005 -- PV Grid Connected Market Potential under a Cost Breakthrough Scenario, Report to Energy Foundation, M. Chaudhari et. al., Navigant Consulting
- 2005 -- EUROPEAN PV ASSOCIATIONS’ POSITION PAPER ON A FEED-IN TARIFF FOR PHOTOVOLTAIC SOLAR ELECTRICITY
- December 2004 -- Economic Impact Analysis of NJ's Proposed 20% Renewable Portfolio Standard, Rutgers Center for Energy, Economic and Environmental Policy
- September 2004 -- The learning potential of photovoltaics: implications for energy policy, van der Zwaan et. al., Energy Policy, Volume 32, Issue 13, p. 1545
- August 2004 -- NJ Energy Efficiency and DG Market Assessment, KEMA, Inc., Final Report to Rutgers University Center for Energy, Economic and Environmental Policy
- August 2004 -- NJ Renewable Energy Market Assessment, Navigant
- June 2004 -- Assessment of Distributed Generation Technology (wind and other), Cape Cod Commission, Cape Light Compact, Boreal Renewable Energy Development, Serchuk Associates
- June 2004 -- Towards an Effective European Industrial Policy for PV Solar Electricity, Winfried Hoffman
- November 2004 -- Using PV to Shave Peak, Address Reliability & Security, NREL Energy Analysis Forum, Perez et. al.
- 2004 -- Availability of Dispersed PV Resource During 8/14/03 Northeast Power Outage, Professor Richard Perez at SUNY Albany et. al.
- 2004 -- Determination of PV Effective Capacity for NJ, by Professor Richard Perez at SUNY Albany for NJ BPU
- 2004 -- Reports by Stephen Conners et al, MIT Lab for Energy & Environment -- for latest/correct versions of these documents, please visit: http://web.mit.edu/agrea/renewables.html#epapv
- 2004 -- National Assessment of Emissions Reduction of Photovoltaic (PV) Power Systems, Prepared for US EPA by Conners, et. al., MIT (3 files):
- April 2004 -- Avoided Emissions from Renewables in New England: Where and When Matters (pdf)
- June 2003 -- End User DG Applications in Cape Light Compact Communities, Distributed Utility Associates
- March 2003 -- Valuing New Technology: The Case of PV, Shimon Awerbuch, SPRU Energy Group, University of Sussex, at Research Seminar, London Business School
- May 2002 -- Clean Energy Technology Buydowns: Economic Theory, Analytic Tools, and The Photovoltaics Case, Richard Duke, Thesis
- October 2000 -- Assessing Rooftop Solar-Electric Distributed Energy Resources for the California Local Government Commission, C. Herig, NREL
- Photovoltaics Can Add Capacity To The Utility Grid, NREL (web)
- September 1998 -- Photovoltaics and Commercial Buildings — A Natural Match: A study highlighting strategic opportunities and locations for using PV to power businesses, NREL (4-page brochure)
- Studies of the Kerman, CA PV project:
- Sept 1995 -- Hoff, T., D. S. Shugar, "The Value of Grid-Support Photovoltaics In Reducing Distribution System Losses" IEEE Transactions on Energy Conversion, Vol. 10, No. 3, pgs 569-576
- 1993 -- Hoff, T., D. S. Shugar, "Grid-Support Photovoltaics: Evaluation of Criteria and Methods to Assess Empirically the local and System Benefits to Electric Utilities," Progress in PV
- May 1990 -- D. S. Shugar, "PV in the Utility Distribution System: The Evaluation of System and Distributed Benefits"
- Hoff, T., H. J. Wenger and B. K. Farmer, "The Value of Grid-Support Photovoltaics in Providing Distribution System Voltage Support"
- Hoff, T., D. S. Shugar, "The Value of Grid-Support Photovoltaics to Substation Transformers"
- Other reports by Dr. Thomas E. Hoff of Clean Power Research are at http://www.clean-power.com/research
Products That May Increase Distribution Value of PV
- Beacon Power's M5 Power Conversion System ("Smart Power" TM):
- GridPoint Model C36 (GridPoint "Connect" TM):
- SkyBuilt Power (R) Mobile Power Station (TM)
- Gaia Power Technologies
Other Information
- Studies on Economics of Renewable DG
- Other studies related to the role of DG in Distribution Planning (i.e., beyond renewable technologies)
- Website with information on Feasibility Study and Design & Construction Grants under MTC's Large Onsite Renewables Initiative
Working Groups of the DG Collaborative:
This page is under construction -- suggestions for additional resources useful for assessing the role of DG in distribution planning, or other questions or comments about the Massachusetts DG Collaborative, may be directed to:
Fran Cummings, RET Policy Director