Photovoltaic solar power gaining momentum with
utilities
August 12, 2010 | Julien Happich
Photovoltaic solar power gaining momentum with utilities Research
undertaken by Gartner, Inc. and the Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA)
has revealed that utilities are becoming increasingly interested in
procuring photovoltaic (PV) solar power generation systems and PV is one
of the leading technologies considered for near-term renewable energy by
utilities.
The survey also found that utilities view onshore wind and biomass as
the other key near-term renewable energy sources. Gartner and SEPA
conducted a survey of utilities in Europe and the U.S. to understand
their requirements and objectives for integrating PV solar systems into
their energy generation portfolios.
A telephone survey of utility firms in the U.S., Germany, Spain, Italy
and France was supplemented by an online survey in the U.S. The survey
was conducted from mid-December 2009 through mid-February 2010, and it
included 134 respondents.
“PV solar systems are a cost-effective means of adding distributed and
central generation sources,” said Alfonso Velosa, research director at
Gartner. “System costs have decreased by over 30 percent since 2008.
This has lowered the cost of electricity from these systems and improved
their competitiveness relative to other renewable energy sources. PV
systems are attractive to many organizations and individuals as they can
be designed relatively easily, in a wide range of sizes and to fit in
many different locations.”
Utilities in Germany clearly lead in the use of PV resources, with 75
percent of the German utilities surveyed currently using PV as part of
their energy resource portfolio. An additional 15 percent of utilities
are considering adding PV to their portfolio within five years. To a
large extent, this reflects a decade-long effort by the German
government to support renewable energy.
Among U.S. utilities, 44 percent of those surveyed indicated they had PV
solar energy resources and another 33 percent consider PV solar power
generation for use within five years.
“Clearly, U.S. utilities, and their customers, have been exploring the
PV market. To some extent, they may also have been learning from
activities in markets such as Germany,” said Mike Taylor, director of
research at SEPA. “The large number of U.S. utilities that are using PV
systems indicates that they are building up their experience with the
technology in anticipation of expansive solar growth and new policy
initiatives that could occur.”
The survey found that renewable energy requirements and government
requirements are the top two global factors behind the utilities'
decisions to integrate PV supply into their energy portfolios. This is
due to the higher costs of PV energy relative to retail and wholesale
electricity prices, and, more importantly, the prevalence of various
procurement and incentive requirements in different countries.
“Overall, the survey indicated that federal policy and state regulatory
levels have strong influence over utility procurement decisions and
strategies,” Mr. Taylor said. “Although price declines will continue to
make PV more competitive with retail and wholesale electricity pricing,
it is unlikely that the importance of policy will decline significantly
in the near-term.”
“U.S. utilities will continue to have strong influence over compliance
options for meeting national or state-level renewable portfolio standard
(RPS) obligations, but while EU utilities feel a similar influence from
policy, their mechanisms and processes for acquiring PV generation are
very different,” Mr. Velosa said. “This points to a hazard for the PV
industry. If policy does not adapt to the changing pricing environment
and other budgetary pressures, there may be a backlash against PV and
other renewable energy sources.”
Visit Gartner at
www.gartner.com
The SEPA report is available at
www.solarelectricpower.org/resources/reports.aspx
Visit the Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) at
www.solarelectricpower.org
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