The community scale is an especially apt one at which to develop solar power, says Boulder, Colorado energy research organization Rocky Mountain Institute in a March 17 blog post.
Community-scale solar refers to mid-size (i.e., 0.5–5 MW), distribution-grid-connected solar PV. Community-scale solar includes both shared solar (i.e., subscribers to solar gardens) as well as small utility-scale systems with utility off-takers.
Community-scale solar has unique attributes, RMI says, that both leverage the best attributes of behind-the-meter-distributed solar and utility-scale solar, respectively, and which set community-scale solar apart from those market segments, including:
• Access: Community-scale solar is inclusive to all, including low- and moderate-income households and others who can’t go solar via rooftop for a variety of reasons – because they rent their home, live in dwellings such as a multi-unit apartment buildings or high-rise condos, or have a roof unsuitable for solar. NREL also reports that 48% of commercial buildings have roofs too small to host on-site solar PV of any meaningful size (i.e., covering at least 20% of demand). Community-scale solar provides access for these customers currently unserved by rooftop solar.
• Affordability: Community-scale solar can approach utility-scale prices and compete with wholesale electricity prices. RMI believes such cost reductions are possible through buyer-owned, shared, and seller-owned levers.
• Appeal: Community-scale solar leverages many of the distributed benefits of behind-the-meter solar.
• Availability: Community-scale solar makes use of under-utilized land closer to loads, such as brownfields, carports, and large rooftops.
• Affinity: Demand for community-scale solar is building, with interest growing across utilities, community-based organizations, and other stakeholders, and bullish forecasts for installed capacity growth. Shared solar grew fivefold in 2015.
Visit http://blog.rmi.org for the full article.