As Connecticut gears up for a new round of solar incentives, New Jersey stated that its own programs have resulted in the Garden State generating 1 percent of its electricity from photovoltaic systems.
Under a new zero-emissions renewable energy credit (ZREC) program and companion low-emissions (LREC) program, Connecticut plans to parse out more than $1 billion in funding to promote renewable energy systems over two decades.
Program participants get a 15-year revenue stream from the sale of renewable energy credits to Connecticut Light & Power and United Illuminating Co., which are owned respectively by Northeast Utilities and UIL Corp.
In mid-July, CL&P said it awarded 84 winning bids from some 300 applications from medium- and large-sized entities, keeping some on standby.
ZREC-qualified projects are Connecticut generation projects that are located “behind customer meters,” in CL&P parlance.
Later this year, the utilities will open up bidding for small businesses. On the residential front, the state now offers a Solarize Connecticut program that groups homeowners for system purchases, with Fairfield and Westport among the first municipalities to pilot the approach.
“Solarize Connecticut has tremendous potential to really change the face of solar in the state,” said Jeffrey Mayer, CEO of Darien-based Soluxe Solar, which is creating a national platform for sales and installation of residential and small-business photovoltaic systems. “It not only lowers the upfront cost of solar for homeowners but also encourages community participation by lowering the cost even further depending upon the number of homeowners who choose to participate. It is exciting for the solar community and hopefully as this program, and others like it around the country continue to grow and prove to be successful, we will see more and more states creating similar initiatives.”
As Connecticut moves ahead, New Jersey passed its own law to better balance supply and demand for its own solar incentives, which for several years have been the most generous in the country along with those in California.
New Jersey says it installed more solar capacity in the first quarter than any other state, after leading the nation in commercial solar installations last year. Today, the state boasts more than 16,000 solar installations on homes, offices, schools and hospitals, and says the technology produces 1 percent of all power in the state.
The Northeast growth is occurring despite a recent study from the U.S. Department of Energy National Renewable Energy Laboratory, which examines available renewable resources in each state. NREL”™s data suggests what might seem obvious ”“ the opportunities for utility-scale solar are best in the Southwest, but smaller projects, including those in urban areas can thrive.
In all, NREL calculates a whopping 200,000 gigawatts of solar capacity is possible in the United States, the majority from concentrating solar arrays that require extensive land. Shelton-based Opel Solar has been among the companies offering systems for concentrating solar power. In June, the company announced it had laid off an undisclosed number of employees as it worked to complete a $3 million round of funding in order to focus on a semiconductor technology with applications for spacecraft sensors and other aviation and defense systems.
