Solar power in Alabama

Solar panels

Solar power in Alabama on rooftops can provide 29.8% of all electricity used in Alabama, with 20,400 MW of solar panels.[1]

Net metering

Offering net metering is required by federal law, but Alabama is one of only four states to not have adopted a statewide policy on net metering, which means it needs to be negotiated with the utility.[2] IREC best practices, based on experience, recommends no limits to net metering, individual or aggregate, and perpetual roll over of kWh credits.[3]

Alabama Power has installed four types of solar panels in Birmingham that can be monitored on the Internet.[4] The company will pay up to 4.81¢/kWh during the summer and 3.93¢/kWh in the winter for excess generation from up to 100 kW systems.[5] Peak power rates are weekdays, 1 to 7 pm in summer and 5 to 9 am in winter.[6] Customers choosing the Time Advantage Energy rate pay 7¢/kWh during winter peak periods and 25¢/kWh during summer peak periods. Off peak is charged 5¢/kWh. Using time advantage requires a time of use meter, and the base charge is increased by $10.50 each month.[7]

Projects

In 2010, one of Alabama's largest solar arrays was the 25 kW system installed at the Coastal Response Center, in Coden, Alabama.[8][9] A $250,000 economic stimulus grant was used to install 156 solar panels on Anniston's Museum of Natural History, which was completed on August 24, 2011.[10] The output of this 25.2 kW system can also be monitored online.[11]

Statistics

Source: NREL[12]
Photovoltaics (MWp)[13][14][15][16][17][18][19]
Year Capacity Installed % Change
2009 0.2 0.1 100%
2010 0.4 0.2 100%
2011 0.5 0.1 20%
2012 1.1 0.6 120%
2013 1.9 0.8 73%
2014 1.9 0 0%
2015 2.0 0.1 5%

See also

References

  1. ↑ Rooftop Solar Photovoltaic Technical Potential in the United States
  2. ↑ Freeing the grid
  3. ↑ Net Metering and Interconnection Procedures Incorporating Best Practices
  4. ↑ Solar demonstration
  5. ↑ Purchase of Alternate Energy
  6. ↑ Time Advantage Rates FAQs
  7. ↑ Time Advantage Rate
  8. ↑ Community center now home to one of Alabama’s largest solar power systems
  9. ↑ Realtime output
  10. ↑ Alabama Focus on Solar Energy
  11. ↑ Anniston Museum Energy and Power
  12. ↑ "PV Watts". NREL. Retrieved 12 June 2012.
  13. ↑ Sherwood, Larry (August 2012). "U.S. Solar Market Trends 2011" (PDF). Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). Retrieved 2012-08-16.
  14. ↑ Sherwood, Larry (June 2011). "U.S. Solar Market Trends 2010" (PDF). Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). p. 20. Retrieved 2011-06-29.
  15. ↑ Sherwood, Larry (July 2010). "U.S. Solar Market Trends 2009" (PDF). Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). p. 23. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
  16. ↑ Sherwood, Larry (July 2009). "U.S. Solar Market Trends 2008" (PDF). Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). p. 16. Retrieved 2010-07-24.
  17. ↑ Sherwood, Larry (July 2012). "U.S. Solar Market Trends 2012" (PDF). Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). p. 16. Retrieved 2013-10-11.
  18. ↑ Sherwood, Larry (July 2014). "U.S. Solar Market Trends 2013" (PDF). Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). Retrieved 2014-09-26.
  19. ↑ Alabama Solar
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