Tag Archives: rooftop solar

Utility Monopoly Slows Rooftop Solar Growth In Georgia

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

In the past five years, solar capacity in Georgia has gone through the roof. It’s grown so fast, in fact, that it is ranked as the 10th largest solar state according to the Solar Energy Industries Association’s annual rankings.

But just because it’s grown rapidly doesn’t mean it’s grown evenly. The growth Georgia has seen has mostly accrued to the state’s largest utility, Georgia Power, instead of individuals and businesses owning their own rooftop systems.

One group – Solarize Middle Georgia – is looking to even the playing field a bit, at least according to an article in the Macon (Georgia) Telegraph.

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This isn’t the first Solarize movement to take up residence in the Peach State. As the article states:

Similar initiatives have taken place in other Georgia communities, like Athens-Clarke County, where residents are able to sign up for free evaluations that could help determine if solar is a worthy investment.

“The price of solar has come down 70 percent since 2010,” said Don Moreland, executive director of Solar CrowdSource who is also involved in Solarize Middle Georgia, told the Telegraph. “Some of the incentives that used to be in place have gone away. Solar is now competitive with what you would otherwise pay for the utility bill. … You come out way ahead with solar compared to other electric bills.”

Overall, the story is a good one, though there are a couple of flaws. One is that it misdiagnoses the module glut of the early 2000s as a “too many companies” problem rather than a “too many panels” problem. They also overestimate the costs of solar and make it seem more expensive than it really is.

But the key here is that rooftop solar, despite having no governmental support (no net metering, for example), is coming to the middle of the state. And when that segment of the industry takes off, there will be no stopping solar growth in the state.

More:

Georgia is full of solar power, but not among homeowners. This group wants to change that.

Nevada Solar Soars After Legislators Got It Right (After The PUC Got It So Wrong)

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

What Happened:A recent Vote Solar note on Nevada revealed that the industry has come roaring back after legislative fixes in 2017 cleaned up the mess that lawmakers and the Public Utilities Commission created in 2016.

  • Most specifically, Assembly Bill (AB) 405 went into law and caused applications for NV Energy’s SolarGenerations program to spike 11-fold in just one year.
  • The bill also provided the right atmosphere to encourage solar installers to hire more workers, including one company that increased its workforce 300%.
    • Nevada

    Once state legislators stopped gambling with the future of solar in the state, Nevada’s industry has come roaring back.

    SolarWakeup’s View:  Well, better late than never, right?

    After the Nevada Public Utilities Commission threw the state’s solar market into disarray with its precipitous decision to eliminate net metering in 2016, the rooftop solar industry all but stopped in the state. National companies like Vivint, Sunrun and (then) SolarCity fled the market in protest.

    Two years later, advocacy group Vote Solar says legislative fixes have helped the industry rebound and thrive once again.

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    As Rosalind Jackson of Vote solar writes:

    (NV Energy’s) SolarGenerations applications went from 287 in 2016 to 3,308 in 2017, with most applications coming in the second half of the year, after AB405 was signed into law. This represents an 11-fold year-over-year increase and early monthly data from 2018 indicates continued growth.

    Perhaps the best news from Vote Solar’s note is the reports of significant hiring in a state that needs jobs. Here’s what Larry Cohen, branch manager for Sunrun, a national solar installation firm with offices in Las Vegas, told Jackson:

    Before the ink was dry on AB 405 – Nevada’s landmark Solar Bill of Rights – I started rehiring dozens of our workers who I was forced to lay off just 18 months earlier because of anti-solar net metering changes. We hope legislators across the country look to Nevada and see that there is incredible voter demand for solar choice. All states should take strong steps to protect access to clean, affordable local energy.

    It’s a great thing to see the state with some of the highest insolation rates in the country getting its act together again on solar. Other states should see Nevada’s lost two years as a cautionary tale against changing solar policy recklessly without looking at all of the potential cosequences.

    Like I said, better late than never – but those are two years of growth that Nevada solar industry won’t ever get back. And that’s a shame.

    More:

    Nevada Solar Applications Through the Roof Following Passage of Net Metering Bill