Electricity demand is expected to rise dramatically over the next few years. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), heating and cooling, increased economic growth and electric vehicles (EVs) are driving the need for more electricity. Electricity can be a clean source of energy if it is produced by renewable wind and solar generation. As we are experiencing increasing impacts from climate change caused by burning fossil fuels, there is a growing urgency to implement clean electric generation.
Utility-scale solar and wind technologies can quickly meet the demand as well as decarbonize the grid. After permitting, solar and wind can become operational in only 12 to 18 months. When in service, utility-scale solar and wind create enough electricity to supply energy to the grid as quickly as possible. Investors find the benefits of solar offer a quicker return on their investments than gas or nuclear power plants. This fast return on investment also lowers investment risks.
John Ketchum, CEO of NextEra Energy, one of the largest power companies in the United States, is concerned about the grid having adequate electricity to meet the increasing demand. While Ketchum says he is agnostic about the source of electricity, he has a preference for solar developments due to development speed and lower cost. In contrast, building a utility-scale gas turbine takes five to seven years, while building a nuclear plant takes ten years or more.
Community Solar is Part of the Solution. Increasing the availability of efficiency, solar, wind and battery storage has to be part of the all-of-the-above strategy that includes rooftop and community solar options. The growth of community solar in the future, where local solar arrays are owned by and shared with people in a community, offers an important part of the clean energy buildout. Community solar can be built as quickly as utility-scale after permitting but typically are smaller developments, producing smaller amounts of electricity. Community solar is great for providing power for residential and local businesses, but generally will not meet the needs of all large businesses or industries. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory estimates the 300,000 businesses and 53 million households could be powered with a full deployment of community solar.
Community solar provides unique benefits and meets local needs. Some of its benefits are improved health impacts, affordability and power sovereignty. It can be politically attractive to those interested in local control. Community solar will also play a crucial role in mitigating the rate of climate change.
Community solar is flexible enough to be developed on rooftops, parking lots and brownfields. While community solar cannot decrease the greenhouse gas emission rate as quickly as utility-scale solar, because community solar can be sited over such areas as parking lots and brownfields, it is generally more well accepted by the public. Making solar more ubiquitous will provide greater acceptance for utility-scale solar.
Community solar is resilient and promotes health given its ability to be deployed in a wide variety of environments. The closer people live to a power source, the less likely they are to lose power, which helps protect those who depend on electricity to power their medical equipment. Living close to a power source helps prevent food spoilage, a challenge that low-income people suffer from the most during power outages. It is hard to recover from a loss of food when you are living paycheck to paycheck. Community solar further promotes health by decreasing air pollution.
With community solar, people own their own power. Community solar prices are usually less per megawatt-hour than those charged by utility companies and provide more stable prices because once the initial investment is made, there are few additional costs. Many low-income people struggle to pay their utility bills. The price predictability and lower cost benefit low-income families. Community solar projects typically reserve a portion of their power production for lower-income families.
For community solar to provide benefits to all Michigan residents, legislation needs to change. Currently, investor-owned utilities in the state are blocking the development of community solar in their service areas because community solar would cut into the company’s profits. There are versions of community solar-enabling legislation in both the Michigan House and Senate. The version in the Senate is preferred by the Sierra Club because it would assist low-income people with participation in community solar. Please contact your state legislators and ask them to pass community solar.
If you have any questions, please contact Mike Buza at theoriginalzuba@yahoo.com.