CSI Program Assessment Released by PUC

On July 10, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) issued its annual report on the progress of the California Solar Initiative (CSI), showing that the program has installed 66 percent of its total goal, with another 19 percent reserved in pending projects. This equals an estimated 1,629 megawatts (MW) of installed solar capacity at 167,878 customer sites in the investor-owned utility territories through the end of the first quarter of 2013, enough to power approximately 150,000 homes and avoid building three power plants. Authored by Tim Drew, James Loewen, Neal Reardon, Ehren Seybert, and Melicia Charles, “California Solar Initiative Annual Program Assessment” contains current information on distributed solar energy systems in California, including systems installed through the CSI Program and those installed through other incentive programs. In addition, this report provides detailed information on CSI Program participation, installed capacity, equipment costs, and program impacts. The report also includes information on the progress of other CSI Program components, including the Single-Family Affordable Solar Homes Program (SASH); the Multifamily Affordable Solar Housing Program (MASH); the CSI-Thermal Program; the CSI-Thermal Low Income Program; and the Research, Development and Demonstration (RD&D) Program. This report also includes information on Net Energy Metering (NEM) and other relevant policy updates. Signed into law by then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on August 21, 2006, California began a $3.3 billion ratepayer-funded effort to install 3,000 megawatts (MW) of new solar over the next decade and transform the market for solar energy by reducing the cost of solar generating equipment. The report covers CPUC portion of the solar effort, known as the California Solar Initiative Program. The CSI program goal is to install 1,940 MW of solar capacity by the end of 2016, and, along with other statewide solar programs, transition the solar industry to a point where it can be self-sustaining without subsidies. Highlights of the report include: A record 391 MW were installed statewide in 2012, a growth of 26 percent from 2011. Pacific Gas and Electric Company achieved the most installations in the non-residential sector of any investor-owned utility, having met 70 percent of their non-residential installation goal. Applicants to the low income portion of CSI, known as the Single-Family Affordable Solar Homes program, have received $64 million in support for their residential solar systems while the Multifamily Affordable Solar Housing (MASH) program has completed 287 projects representing a total capacity of 18.4 MW. There are an additional 83 MASH projects in process, for a total capacity of 11.3 MW. Virtual Net Metering has allowed thousands of tenants to receive the direct benefits of solar as reductions in their monthly electric bills. In just over three years of operation, the CSI-Thermal program has received 1,215 applications for $56.3 million in incentives. All but 92 MW, or 6 percent, of solar capacity in the state is signed up for Net Energy Metering (NEM) tariffs. Pursuant to Assembly Bill 2514 (Bradford, 2012) and CPUC Decision 12-05-036, the CPUC has initiated a study on the costs and benefits of NEM to ratepayers. The study will be released later this year. The “holy grail” of this program and the solar industry in general is to achieve grid parity – the point where solar energy is on par with regulated utility rates. Grid parity may not be far away, as some niche markets have achieved it, and some third-party solar providers are providing power to consumers for less than the utility , however these still involve subsidies. Since 2007, the average total installed cost for residential solar systems in CSI has decreased 32 percent from $8.77 per watt to $5.98 per watt. Those costs include labor and permitting, as well as the panels themselves. Download your copy here .

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CSI Program Assessment Released by PUC

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