Four Easy Steps to a 30-Fold Increase in US Solar Power by 2016
The Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) has outlined four easy steps to a thirty fold increase in the size of the US solar power industry between 2009 and 2016, leading to over $230 billion worth of investment and the creation of 440,000 permanent jobs.
The influential industry group laid out the plans at this week’s Solar Power International conference in San Diego. The four key recommendations to achieve this goal are as follows:
1. Utility Ownership of Solar Power Projects
“The utility and solar industries must collaborate to find program structures, such as utility ownership of distributed photovoltaics, that provide a winning scenario for both industries, as well as for customers at large. The solar industry can utilize this new market segment as a buffer until home and small business owners are back on more solid economic footing.”
2. Increased Utility Engagement in Solar Markets
“The utility and solar industries must work together to get more utilities engaged, starting by increasing the solar knowledge base of utility employees, from top executives down to distribution engineers. We must move beyond having ninety seven percent of all grid-connected solar installations in just 10 utilities’ service territories.”
3. Streamlined Planning and Approval Systems
“The utility and solar industries must work in partnership with regulators and investors to push for approval and funding of new transmission projects and the development of smart grid configurations to expedite the timeframe in which new utility-scale and distributed solar projects can come on line and provide maximum value.”
4. Development of Innovative Approaches
“By working in collaboration, the utility and solar industries can make great strides towards modernizing today’s electricity infrastructure and offering customers affordable and clean power. But the status quo will not achieve the necessary results. We need bold new ideas developed in tandem for the mutual benefit of both industries, and society at large.”
So that’s all there is to it huh? Well, I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. Although, on the surface, the plan seems fairly straightforward, its achievement would require leadership and foresight, as well as big changes in the way that the key industry and government players interact. However, given the major economic and environmental challenges facing us all, it’s encouraging to see that at least someone has a plan…
Image Credit - Mulad via flickr.com on a Creative Commons license
The “30-fold” number is interesting. If solar power doubles about every 18 months, then in eight years it will be about 32 times bigger. Where have I heard that “doubling every 18 months” idea before? Oh yeah, it’s Moore’s Law! It’s about time that a legit organization (as opposed to, say, my blog Barrier Busting) comes out with a prediction of a Moore’s Law-type growth rate for solar. And it means that in 15 years, if the doubling rate stays constant, solar will be about 120 times where it is now - and will be providing a very significant amount of our energy.
Give utilities control over solar power generating projects will mean no or fewer innovations until too late to save the environment. We need competition to get their attention. Small localized solar voltaic systems on residences and small businesses, owned by the people who consume the power, would reduce impact of power outages and benefit utilities by reducing their burden of building ever larger generating facilities to meet their top load requirements and reducing the massive power grid requirements necessary to centralized generating facilities.
If solar power doubles about every 18 months, then in eight years it will be about 32 times bigger.