Solar power in Vermont explained

Solar power in Vermont provides almost 11% of the state's in-state electricity production as of 2018.[1] A 2009 study indicated that distributed solar on rooftops can provide 18% of all electricity used in Vermont.[2] A 2012 estimate suggests that a typical 5 kW system costing $25,000 before credits and utility savings will pay for itself in 10 years, and generate a profit of $34,956 over the rest of its 25-year life.[3]

Net metering is available for up to at least 500 kW generation, but is capped at 15% of utilities peak demand. Excess generation is rolled over each month but is lost once each year. Group net metering is also allowed.[4] Vermont is given an A for net metering and a C for interconnection.[5] A feed-in tariff was created in 2009, but is limited to 50 MW and is fully subscribed. The cap increases by 5 to 10 MW/year starting in 2013 until it reaches 127.5 MW in 2022. It is available for solar, wind, methane, and biomass.[6] [7] Seven solar projects are receiving payments, of $0.30/kWh, for 25 years.[8]

Installed capacity

Grid-Connected PV Capacity (MW)[9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18]
YearCapacityChange% Change
2007 0.7 0.2 40%
2008 1.1 0.4 57%
2009 1.7 0.6 55%
2010 3.9 2.2 129%
2011 11.7 7.8 200%
2012 28.0 16.3 139%
2013 41.5 13.6 49%
2014 64 22.5 54%
2015 107 43 67%
2016 185 78 73%
2017 220 35 19%
2018 302 82 37%
2019 355 53 18%
2020 379 24 7%
2021 397.6 18.6 %
2022 417 19.4 %

Solar farms

ImageSize = width:420 height:240PlotArea = width:350 height:150 left:40 bottom:40AlignBars = late

DateFormat = x.yPeriod = from:0 till:6TimeAxis = orientation:verticalScaleMajor = unit:month increment:1 start:0

TextData = pos:(15,220) textcolor:black fontsize:M text:Hrs pos:(205,25) textcolor:black fontsize:M text:Month pos:(90,230) textcolor:black fontsize:M text:Burlington Sun Hours/day (Avg = 4.33 hrs/day)

Colors = id:yellow value:yellow

PlotData= width:20 textcolor:black bar:Jan color:yellow from:0 till:3.12 text:3.12 shift:(-10,50) bar:Feb color:yellow from:0 till:4.01 text:4.01 shift:(-10,55) bar:Mar color:yellow from:0 till:4.91 text:4.91 shift:(-10,70) bar:Apr color:yellow from:0 till:5.05 text:5.05 shift:(-10,70) bar:May color:yellow from:0 till:5.51 text:5.51 shift:(-10,75) bar:Jun color:yellow from:0 till:5.42 text:5.42 shift:(-10,75) bar:Jul color:yellow from:0 till:5.47 text:5.47 shift:(-10,75) bar:Aug color:yellow from:0 till:5.46 text:5.46 shift:(-10,75) bar:Sep color:yellow from:0 till:4.70 text:4.70 shift:(-10,65) bar:Oct color:yellow from:0 till:3.79 text:3.79 shift:(-10,55) bar:Nov color:yellow from:0 till:2.37 text:2.37 shift:(-10,40) bar:Dec color:yellow from:0 till:2.15 text:2.15 shift:(-10,35)

Source: NREL[19]

In 2012, Vermont had five solar arrays of at least 1 MW, the 2.2 MW SunGen Sharon 1 in Sharon.[20] the 2.1 MW concentrating photovoltaics array installed in July 2011 in South Burlington,[21] [22] the 1.5 MW photovoltaic array also in South Burlington installed in October 2011,[23] the 1 MW photovoltaic array in Ferrisburgh,[24] and the 2 MW Williamstown Solar Project.[25]

As of 2019, Green Mountain Power (GMP) has further constructed several solar arrays as large as 5 MW.[26] In 2015, the 20 MW Coolidge solar farm near Ludlow was opposed by GMP, which claimed that there was no need for such utility-scale solar in the state.[27] The farm was completed by NextEra Energy at the end of 2018.[28]

Generation

Using data available from the U.S. Energy Information Agency's Electric Power Annual 2017[29] and "Electric Power Monthly Data Browser",[30] [31] [32] [33] the following table summarizes Vermonts’s solar energy posture.

Solar-electric generation in Vermont!Year!Facilities!Summer capacity (MW)!Electric energy (GWh or M kWh)!Capacity factor!Yearly growth of generating capacity!Yearly growth of produced energy!% of VT renewable electric energy!% of VT generated electric energy!% of U.S. Solar electric energy
-2018 3498.7 143 0.165 33% 44.4% 6.09% 6.07% 0.27% -2017 3174.2 99 0.152 13% 67.8% 4.64% 4.62% 0.19% -2016 65.7 59 0.103 118% 23% 3.10% 3.08% 0.16% -2015 32.4 48 0.169 7%100% 2.4% 2.42% 0.19% -2014 30.2 24.091 41% 2.10% 0.34%0.13% -
Capacity factor for each year was computed from the end-of-year summer capacity.2017 data is from Electric Power Monthly and is subject to change.

A small-scale 15KW installation at a homestead in middle Vermont generated 19,480 kWh of electrical energy at a Capacity Factor of 0.15. The homestead was sending energy to the utility when it was produced and taking energy from the utility when needed. Overall, the homestead consumed 80% of its generation and sold the remaining 20% to the utility. The generation profile is shown in the chart.

Beginning with the 2014 data year, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) has estimated the distributed solar-photovoltaic generation and distributed solar-photovoltaic capacity.[34] These non-utility-scale appraisals evaluate that Vermont generated the following amounts of additional solar energy:

Estimated distributed solar electric generation in Vermont[35] [36] !Year!Summer capacity (MW)!Electric energy (GWh or M kWh)
2018102.3 130 -201790.3 111 -201659.8 76 -201549.948 -201427.933

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Solar Spotlight - Vermont. . June 2019. www.seia.org. August 11, 2019.
  2. Web site: Report Argues for a Decentralized System of Renewable Power Generation. Witkin. Jim. 2009-10-30. Green Blog. en-US.
  3. News: Guide to Vermont Home Solar Incentives, Rebates, and Tax Credits. Solar Power Rocks. en-US.
  4. http://www.dsireusa.org/incentives/incentive.cfm?Incentive_Code=VT02R&re=1&ee=1 Vermont Net Metering
  5. http://www.newenergychoices.org/uploads/FreeingTheGrid2011.pdf Freeing the grid
  6. http://vermontspeed.com/standard-offer-program Standard Offer Program
  7. http://www.dsireusa.org/incentives/incentive.cfm?Incentive_Code=VT36F&re=1&ee=1 Standard Offer for Qualifying SPEED Resources
  8. http://vermontspeed.com/speed-monthly-production/ Monthly Production
  9. Web site: U.S. Solar Market Trends 2011. Sherwood, Larry. Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). August 2012. 2012-08-16. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120906231846/http://www.irecusa.org/wp-content/uploads/IRECSolarMarketTrends-2012-web.pdf. 2012-09-06.
  10. Web site: U.S. Solar Market Trends 2010 . Sherwood . Larry . Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) . June 2011 . 2011-06-29.
  11. Web site: U.S. Solar Market Trends 2009 . Sherwood . Larry . Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) . July 2010 . 2010-07-28 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100925184512/http://irecusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/IREC-Solar-Market-Trends-Report-2010_7-27-10_web1.pdf . 2010-09-25 .
  12. Web site: U.S. Solar Market Trends 2008 . Sherwood . Larry . Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) . July 2009 . 2010-07-24 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20091123030109/http://www.irecusa.org/fileadmin/user_upload/NationalOutreachDocs/SolarTrendsReports/IREC_Solar_Market_Trends_Report_2008.pdf . 2009-11-23 .
  13. Web site: U.S. Solar Market Trends 2007 . Sherwood . Larry . Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) . August 2008 . 2010-07-24 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120722202909/http://www.irecusa.org/fileadmin/user_upload/NationalOutreachDocs/IREC_Solar_Market_Trends_Revision_11_19_08-1.pdf . 2012-07-22.
  14. http://www.slideshare.net/SEIA/us-solar-market-insight-report US Solar Market Insight Report
  15. Web site: U.S. Solar Market Trends 2008 . Sherwood . Larry . Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) . July 2009 . 16 . 2010-07-24 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20091123030109/http://www.irecusa.org/fileadmin/user_upload/NationalOutreachDocs/SolarTrendsReports/IREC_Solar_Market_Trends_Report_2008.pdf . 2009-11-23 .
  16. Web site: U.S. Solar Market Trends 2012 . Sherwood . Larry . Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) . July 2012 . 16 . 2013-10-11.
  17. Web site: U.S. Solar Market Trends 2013. Sherwood, Larry. Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). July 2014. 2014-09-26.
  18. https://www.seia.org/state-solar-policy/vermont-solar "Vermont Solar"
  19. Web site: PV Watts . NREL . 23 July 2012.
  20. News: Talmage Solar Engineering, Inc. Unveils Largest Smart Array in North America. 2012-07-31. Business Wire. en.
  21. Web site: Vermont's largest solar array compared to California's. Griset. Todd. 2011-07-28. Energy Policy Update.
  22. Web site: Site #316 Production Report AllEarth Renewables Energy Production Report. www.allearthrenewables.com. en.
  23. Web site: Military Invests in Solar at Vermont National Guard Base . https://web.archive.org/web/20120726235500/http://www.atissun.com/blog/5373/military-invests-in-solar-at-vermont-national-guard-base/ . 2012-07-26.
  24. Web site: Ferrisburgh Solar Farm. https://web.archive.org/web/20120327161122/http://pomerleau.kiosk-view.com/ferrisburgh . 2012-03-27 .
  25. Web site: Williamstown solar array to be among state's biggest. https://archive.today/20130411183808/http://www.rutlandherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120731/NEWS03/707319919/1004. 2013-04-11. 2012-07-31. Rutland Herald.
  26. Web site: Vermont solar storage projects aim to lower costs during peak demand . Bill Opalka . Vermont Journal . 2019-01-28 .
  27. News: 20-megawatt solar project needed, developers' report says. Polhamus. Mike. 2015-12-06. VTDigger. en-US.
  28. Web site: Coolidge Solar Project on schedule and expected to go live in December . Sharon Huntley . Vermont Journal . 2018-10-17 .
  29. Web site: Electric Power Annual State Data . 1990-2017 Existing Name Plate and Summer Capacity by Energy Source and State . 2019-03-17.
  30. Web site: Electric Power Monthly Data Browser . Table 1.17B . 2019-03-15.
  31. Web site: Electric Power Monthly Data Browser . Report 1.14 . 2017-06-17.
  32. Web site: Electric Power Monthly Data Browser . Report 1.13 . 2019-03-17.
  33. Web site: Electric Power Monthly Data Browser . Report 1.6 . 2019-03-17.
  34. Web site: Electric Power Annual . 2017-06-17.
  35. Web site: Electric Power Monthly . Electric Power Monthly (February 2018 with data for December 2017) - Table 1.17.B. Net Generation from Solar Photovoltaic . 2018-05-29.
  36. Web site: Electric Power Monthly . Electric Power Monthly (February 2018 with data for December 2017) - Table 6.2.B. Net Capacity from Solar Photovoltaic . 2018-07-27.

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