The OurEnergyLibrary aggregates and indexes publicly available fact sheets, journal articles, reports, studies, and other publications on U.S. energy topics. It is updated every week to include the most recent energy resources from academia, government, industry, non-profits, think tanks, and trade associations. Suggest a resource by emailing us at info@ourenergypolicy.org.
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Driven by favorable economics, policy factors, and decarbonization goals, large-scale solar (LSS, defined here as ground-mounted photovoltaic projects ≥1 MWDC) has expanded rapidly in recent years, with more than 90 gigawatts (GW) now installed across the United States. Growth in LSS deployment is anticipated to accelerate in response to growing electricity demand and utility, state, and federal decarbonization goals. This continued expansion hinges, in part, on the continued support of local residents and decision-makers in communities hosting LSS projects. Understanding the perceptions and attitudes of existing LSS neighbors is critical to inform and enable future LSS deployment, and to improve …
View Full ResourceGiven the high deployment targets for solar photovoltaics (PV) to meet U.S. decarbonization goals, and the limited carbon budget remaining to limit global temperature rise, accurate accounting of PV system life cycle energy use and greenhouse gas emissions is needed. In the United States, most PV systems are large, utility-scale systems that use single-axis trackers and central inverters, which are not commonly examined in existing life cycle assessment (LCA) literature.
This study presents a cradle-to-grave LCA of a typical silicon U.S. utility-scale PV (UPV) installation that is consistent with the utility system features documented in the NREL annual PV system …
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) is interested in combining community solar with weatherization programs for manufactured homes. To collect program strategies, EGLE made a request for technical assistance from the US Department of Energy’s National Community Solar Partnership (NCSP).
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab developed this study in response. It briefly reviews issues relevant to the question, attempts to lay out a methodology for more in-depth analysis, and provides some recommendations for program design and implementation. While the research is specific to Michigan, the recommendations and methodologies could serve as an example for other states and …
View Full ResourceThe Clean Energy States Alliance has published a report showing the potential impact of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s $7 billion Solar for All competition. This report provides the first public look into the range of state proposals that have been submitted in response to this competition.
For this report, CESA received exclusive access to the Solar for All applications submitted in 33 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. The report summarizes trends across these applications and presents data on the impact that Solar for All programs could have on the low-and-moderate-income solar market. The report includes information …
A broad suite of performance metrics is required to provide a holistic picture of how energy efficiency (EE) and distributed energy resource (DER) upgrades affect each stakeholder, and how their value varies by home. This report quantifies the relative and combined value of EE and DER investments within the residential, single-family home sector. The new workflow developed combines multiple tools from both the buildings and the solar plus storage domain to enable this analysis from the perspective of multiple stakeholders. This allows simulations to be performed for residential buildings to be modeled anywhere in the country with any efficiency features, …
View Full ResourceCommunity solar is any solar project or purchasing program within a geographic area in which the benefits flow to multiple customers, such as individuals, businesses, nonprofits, and other groups. Community solar customers typically subscribe to or own a portion of the energy generated by a solar array and receive an electric bill credit for electricity generated by their share of the community solar system. Community solar can offer greater household savings for electricity customers, provide access to solar energy for low- to moderate-income (LMI) customers, generate resilience and grid benefits, and boost solar workforce development, among other benefits.1 The goal …
View Full ResourceCommunity solar, in particular, provides an opportunity to expand solar access to low-income families, renters, and multifamily building residents. The U.S. Department of Energy (Energy Department) defines community solar as “any solar project or purchasing program, within a geographic area, in which the benefits of a solar project flow to multiple customers such as individuals, businesses, nonprofits, and other groups.”
Community solar customers typically subscribe to— or in some cases own—a portion of the energy generated by a solar array, and receive an electric bill credit for electricity generated by their share of the community solar system. Community solar can …
Solar energy is abundant, affordable and a big part of America’s transition to renewable energy. Solar power is particularly valuable when it produces energy right where we need it: on the rooftops of our homes and businesses.
Rooftop solar is good for the environment and consumers – reducing our dependence on fossil fuels, easing strain on the grid during periods of high demand, increasing resilience to threats like extreme weather, and limiting the amount of land needed for clean energy, all at steadily falling cost.
State and local policies that make it easier for homeowners and business owners to install …
The Kentucky Municipal Energy Agency (KyMEA) is a joint action agency that provides electric transmission and energy services to 11 municipal utilities. One of KyMEA’s member cities, Frankfort, has a goal to reach 100% renewable generation for the city’s electricity load by 2023. By 2030, it seeks to achieve 100% carbon-free city operations and 100% renewable electricity community-wide. The aim of this research was to determine whether the Frankfort city government can reduce its power costs by implementing distribution-tied solar photovoltaics (PV) without cross subsidization from other KyMEA member utilities or other Frankfort Plant Board customers. …
View Full ResourceIn order to meet decarbonization goals, the number of large-scale solar (LSS) facilities in the US is expected to increase considerably. The advantages of LSS over fossil-fueled power generation are numerous and well documented. However, residents living nearby proposed and existing LSS sites have voiced a number of concerns about LSS, including its possible impacts to farmland and agricultural production, biodiversity, stormwater runoff, home and property values, as well as concerns about solar panels’ toxicity and safety. While rapid expansion of LSS currently relies on officials permitting and residents being willing to host these systems, the appetite for LSS in …
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