Economic Development
Studies such as those listed below have shown that investing in renewables can provide benefits to the general economy. In addition, a utility's investment in photovoltaics (PV) can provide benefits to its ratepayers. By attracting a PV manufacturing capability to an area, the utility can benefit by spreading out its fixed costs over more units of sales as well as increasing employment (and thus energy consumption) in the area. As shown in a study for the Sacramento Municipal Utility District, a conservative estimate of the added service revenues associated with the utility's attracting a 10-MW PV plant to the area are about 20% of the total benefits of distributed PV generation.
Supporting Publications:
Photovoltaic Economics and Markets: The Sacramento Municipal Utility District as a Case Study
Colorado's Energy Future (PDF 319 KB