Abstract
Over the last decade, the costs of residential solar photovoltaic (PV) systems in the U.S. have steadily declined, and many stakeholders - including homeowners, utilities and regulators - are increasingly considering the value of energy storage tied to PV systems. How can distributed energy storage enhance grid operations? Is it cost-effective? How will costs evolve over time? Today, the answers to many of these questions largely depend on where the PV+storage system is installed. Locality-specific costs and processes like permitting, interconnection, net metering, and fire codes can vary widely across the U.S., affecting not only project costs, but also project timelines. Some of the biggest variables affecting the financial viability of grid-connected PV+storage projects are the local utility rates, incentives and how ancillary benefits of the systems are valued.
| Original language | American English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 12-15 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Solar Energy |
| Volume | 10 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| State | Published - 2017 |
NREL Publication Number
- NREL/JA-7A40-68902
Keywords
- balance of system
- PV
- residential
- soft costs
- solar balance of system
- solar soft costs
- storage system costs
