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In this final Solar Market Pathways newsletter, we’re celebrating collective accomplishments from the last year three years and sharing some of the many new resources we've created together! (Like this new video!)
Together, we've shaped the future of solar energy
In Illinois
Cook County helped jumpstart the community solar market in northeast Illinois, where the total community solar capacity is over 9,000 MW, enough to power more than 1.2 million single-family homes for one year. Community solar has the potential to add more than 2,000 jobs and $283 million in economic activity between 2018 and 2030.
In Utah
The Wasatch Solar Project achieved its goal of 750 MW of utility scale solar through SMP, and expects to achieve the 2024 goal of 325 MW of rooftop solar in 2019, five years ahead of schedule. During the project period, Utah skyrocketed from a ranking of 16th for solar capacity in the U.S. in 2015 to 6th in 2016.
In Virginia
With a comprehensive solar strategy, Dominion Energy Virginia grew their installed solar capacity grew from little more than 1 MW to 744 MW through SMP. This rapid expansion serves as a model for other utilities and it outlined in the Virginia Solar Pathways Project report.
In Vermont
The Vermont Energy Investment Corporation proved that solar could provide 20% of Vermont’s electricity by 2025 at a much lower cost than business as usual.
We've created innovative tools
A free critical load sizing tool to help develop preliminary solar+storage equipment sizing estimates, developed by the City and County of San Francisco.
An easy-to-use tool designed to simulate long-term financial forecasting for PV investments, created as part of the project by the Midwest Renewable Energy Association.
An interactive, public-facing web tool providing detailed information on Duluth's solar PV opportunities, created as part of the project by Ecolibrium3.
We've overcome barriers
Through 36 TA requests, we helped build new maps and tools, calculate cost savings, establish best practices, and more.
Utility Engagements
Coordinated by the Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP), workshops for Utah’s municipal utilities focused on the grid impacts of solar, solar valuation and cost-benefit analyses, and rate design issues with solar as part of the Wasatch Solar Project. The Interstate Renewable Energy Council provided best practices for interconnection standards to incorporate into the 10-Year Solar Deployment Plan.
With support from ISC and RAP, the Community Solar Value Project held a workshop for utilities on community solar procurements, programs, and pricing.
Cost Savings Calculations
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) assessed the Council of Independent Colleges in Virginia’s group purchasing efforts and developed recommendations to help inform future efforts to measure the value of joint procurement. ISC worked to replicate CICV’s approach to group purchasing across the country, helping institutions learn from their templates and lessons learned.
Community Solar Valuation
NREL helped the Cook County project develop the value proposition of community solar to stakeholders.
We've shared what we've learned
This video on resilient solar, created by the Institute for Sustainable Communities (ISC), features the great work of three SMP projects—Sustainable
CUNY, Ecolibrium3, and the City and County of San Francisco—and of a project in Baltimore through ISC’s Partnership for Resilient Communities. These projects are demonstrating the power of solar+storage to help strengthen resilience, advance renewable energy
goals, and serve vulnerable neighborhoods during disasters.
For organizations, departments, and agencies interested in developing resilient solar in their community, this video shares examples of trailblazing resilient solar projects and offers tools, resources, and lessons learned to serve as a starting point for future projects.
Please share this video with other communities interested in resilient solar!
ISC chatted with the Center for Sustainable Energy’s Morgan Chan and Alexandra Patey about multi-family solar and virtual net energy metering in California and with Utah Clean Energy’s Sarah Wright about catalyzing solar in Salt Lake City. These new Q&As are two of the many resources recently added to the Expanding Engagement and Participation innovation.
Publications and Presentations
Together, we've made 18 conference presentations, released more than 20 publications, and hosted seven public-facing webinars to share lessons learned and new tools and resources from SMP projects!
We've completed transformative projects
And we've captured it all in a comprehensive website!
SMP ends this month, but the website has never been more alive with project updates, expanded insights, and new resources! The website will be live at its current domain for the rest of the year before we move it to the ISC U.S. Local Solutions website, where you’ll still be able to access all of the tools and information we’ve created and cataloged together.
Congratulations on a successful three years together! It has been a pleasure to lead the Solar Market Pathways National Coordinator Team. We know that much of the hard work of implementation still lies ahead. We hope you'll keep in touch and continue to think of the Institute for Sustainable Communities as a resource and a partner.
The future is bright!
Deb Perry and Nicole Enright, Institute for Sustainable Communities
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