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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