SEIA Resources
Reports
SEIA produces a variety of research and other supporting resources for the solar industry, ranging from full reports to short factsheets. Below is a list of our reports, organized by date. For a full library of research and resources, click here.
Benchmarking Non-Hardware Balance of System (Soft) Costs for U.S. Photovoltaic Systems Using a Data-Driven Analysis from PV Installer Survey Results
This report presents results from the first U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) sponsored, bottom-up data-collection and analysis of non-hardware balance-of-system costs—often referred to as “business process” or “soft” costs—for residential and commercial photovoltaic (PV) systems. Annual expenditure and labor-hour-productivity data are analyzed to benchmark 2010 soft costs related to the DOE priority areas of (1) customer acquisition; (2) permitting, inspection, and interconnection; (3) installation labor; and (4) installer labor for arranging third-party financing.
Residential Photovoltaic Energy Systems in California: The Effect on Home Sales Prices (2011)
The Working Group III Special Report on Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Mitigation (SRREN) presents an assessment of the literature on the scientific, technological, environmental, economic and social aspects of the contribution of six renewable energy (RE) sources to the mitigation of climate change. It is intended to provide policy relevant information to governments, intergovernmental processes and other interested parties. This Summary for Policymakers provides an overview of the SRREN, summarizing the essential findings. The SRREN consists of 11 chapters.
Photovoltaic (PV) Pricing Trends: Historical, Recent, and Near-Term Projections
The installed capacity of global and U.S. photovoltaic (PV) systems has soared in recent years, driven by declining PV prices and government incentives. The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) SunShot Initiative aims to make PV cost competitive without incentives by reducing the cost of PV-generated electricity by about 75% between 2010 and 2020.
Electricity Bill Savings from Residential Photovoltaic Systems: Sensitivities to Changes in Future Electricity Market Conditions
Customer-sited photovoltaic (PV) systems in the United States are often compensated at the customer’s underlying retail electricity rate through net metering. Calculations of the customer economics of PV, meanwhile, often assume that retail rate structures and PV compensation mechanisms will not change and that retail electricity prices will increase (or remain constant) over time, thereby also increasing (or keeping constant) the value of bill savings from PV.
Solar Valuation in Utility Planning Studies
This webinar was presented by the Clean Energy States Alliance and featured Andrew Mills of Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (LBNL) discussing new research on solar valuation that he and his colleague, Ryan Wiser, have recently published.
Impacts of Regional Electricity Prices and Building Type on the Economics of Commercial Photovoltaic Systems
Business owners often have a choice between multiple electricity rate options. For businesses with photovoltaic (PV) installations, choosing the right rate is essential to maximize the value of PV generation. The complex interaction between PV generation, building load, and rate structure makes determining the best rate a challenging task. We evaluated 207 rate structures across 77 locations and 16 commercial building types and identified the impacts of regional electricity prices and building type on the economics of solar PV systems.
Maximizing the Value of Photovoltaic Installations on Schools in California: Choosing the Best Electricity Rates
Schools in California often have a choice between multiple electricity rate options. For schools with photovoltaic (PV) installations, choosing the right rate is essential to maximize the value of PV generation. The rate option that minimizes a school’s electricity expenses often does not remain the most economical choice after the school installs a PV system. The complex interaction between PV generation, building load, and rate structure makes determining the best rate a challenging task.
Evaluating the Benefits and Costs of Net Energy Metering in California
This paper explores recent claims by California’s investor-owned utilities (IOUs) that the state’s net energy metering (NEM) policy causes substantial cost shifts between energy customers with solar photovoltaic (PV) systems and other non-solar customers, particularly in the residential market. We conclude that the utilities’ concerns with the impacts of NEM on nonparticipating ratepayers are unfounded.
NERC: 2012 Long-Term Reliability Assessment
This assessment was prepared by North American Electric Reliability Corporation in its capacity as the Electric Reliability Organization1 and provides an independent view of the 10‐year reliability outlook for the North American BPS,2 while identifying trends, emerging issues, and potential risks.
NREL: Updating Small Generator Interconnection Procedures for New Market Conditions
This report recommends reforms to federal and state interconnection procedures to meet the demands of a growing national marketplace for solar photovoltaic (PV) and other small renewable generators that interconnect to electric distribution systems.