Annual U.S. Community Solar Installations, 2010-2017E. Source: Greentech Media
Community solar will boom in 2017, according to a new Greentech Media report. In that report, GTM predicts over 400 MW of community solar will be installed in America this year. The increase will occur as community solar moves from a pilot program to one adopted by utilities.
“Looking ahead, the community solar market will be defined by utilities scaling up pilot programs beyond a single sub-1-megawatt project, and the regulatory driven boom-and-bust cycles of third-party-led state markets,” said Cory Honeyman, lead author of the GTM report.
According to Energy Sage, community solar refers to either “community-owned” projects or third-party owned plants whose energy is shared by a community. The two arrangements allow people to go solar without installing panels on their personal property.
The growth prediction by GTM forecasts national growth for the segment, but community solar markets may vary due to the volatile regulatory landscape and changes in utility-led procurement.
Regardless of the uncertainty, GTM predicts long-term growth: “With nearly 3 gigawatts of community solar in development, community solar is on track to become a 500-megawatt annual market by 2019.”