WASHINGTON, DC, USA, August 5, 2008. The US
Solar Electric
Power Association (SEPA) has announced a list of the
top 10 utilities in the US with the most solar electricity integrated
into their energy mix at the end of 2007.
“Based on recent announcements and internal discussions with utilities, SEPA anticipates that utilities will quickly become the largest and one of the most important customers for the solar industry,” says Julia Hamm, SEPA Executive Director.
“Whether solar electric systems are developed by utilities, their customers, or solar companies, the utilities’ proactive engagement with emerging solar technologies is important to the solar industry as a whole. This market survey and resulting rankings provide a baseline against which increased utility activity can be measure in the future,” she adds.
Southern California Edison (SCE), California, takes the first position for total solar electric capacity by MW, both for overall capacity and capacity per customer. The utility’s long standing contracts with the Californian Solar Energy Generating Systems (SEGS) concentrating solar thermal (CST) plants drive its large number of solar MW, however, new projects means SCE’s top position is not secure.
Measured by the customer side of the meter, Pacific Gas & Electric, California, took the honours for both the largest amount of overall solar capacity and the highest MW per customer. On the utility side of the meter, SCE is the highest ranking utility both for overall MW as well as MW per customer.
Looking at the customer side of the meter for public power utilities, Los Angeles Department of Water & Power, California, is the most solar integrated in overall capacity, while Kauai Island Utility Cooperative, Hawaii, has the highest capacity per customer.
California, with its long-standing policies for solar market development, represents the majority of the highest rankings, but utilities in Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin also made the top ten in many categories.
“These to ten rankings highlight solar-leading utilities that have put significant efforts into facilitating what have traditionally been customer-based solar solutions,” says Mike Taylor, SEPA Director of Research.
“What has become apparent however is that over the next few years, there will be an unprecedented level of new utility engagement in the solar industry that develops both centralised and distributed systems in new and unique ways. Several US utilities, some of whom aren’t in these rankings yet, are positioning themselves to be the solar industries largest and most innovative customers.”
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