The second smallest state within the nation is just not recognized for large-scale solar installations, however the tide is slowly turning.
July 8, 2022
The pv journal USA tour of solar incentives now takes us to the South-Atlantic area, with the primary cease in Delaware, the second smallest state within the nation. While it’s the sixth least populated state, additionally it is the sixth most densely populated state. Delaware is home to the Institute of Energy Conversion on the University of Delaware, based in 1972 and believed to be the oldest repeatedly working solar analysis institute on the earth.
Delaware is at the moment ranked forty first in solar installations within the nation, in accordance with the Solar Energy Industries Association. That’s down from thirty seventh in 2021. Less than 5% of the state’s electrical energy is derived from solar, and SEIA’s development projection is for under 341 MW put in within the subsequent 5 years, dropping the state additional to forty fourth.
Last 12 months the Governor signed a invoice boosting the state’s renewable portfolio customary to 40% by 2035, with 10% required to return from solar. When the invoice handed, the Sierra Club welcomed the elevated RPS, however the group argued the brand new 40% goal was too low and left Delaware “behind virtually every state in the region,” most of which have targets 50% or increased.
To meet the brand new RPS, two Delaware utilities are providing incentives for purchasers so as to add solar. Delmarva Power presents a money rebate of $0.70 per watt of solar producing capability put in as much as 50 kW, to a most of $6,000. Delaware Electric Cooperative presents clients $0.50/W of solar power put in (as much as 5 kW), and $0.20/W for any extra solar capability.
Net metering
The state at the moment has some sturdy solar incentives in place, along with the federal funding tax credit score of 26% for the price of gear put in. Delaware’s web metering legislation permits third-party solar financing and presents a full retail fee for web metered electrical energy, which means that owners obtain the identical fee for his or her extra solar-generated electrical energy that owners pay the utility for grid-supplied power.
Community solar
Community solar has been authorized in Delaware since 2010, however a invoice signed into legislation in September 2021, expands entry to neighborhood solar initiatives. SB 2 will increase the utmost measurement of techniques to 4 MW, requires that every system proprietor to certify that no less than 15% of its clients are low-income, eliminates the requirement that every one clients be on the identical distribution feeder, and extra.
Low- to moderate-income packages
In addition to the requirement for low-income clients to have entry to neighborhood solar, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) just lately introduced the launch of a two-year pilot program for low- to moderate-income households, providing free solar panels or price help, relying on eligibility. Low-income households should first apply for set up providers by way of the DNREC’s Weatherization Assistance Program, a cost-free program that improves residential energy effectivity by way of weatherproofing and different home enhancements. Homes that qualify can obtain a free solar set up of as much as 4.0 kW. Moderate-income households can obtain a solar set up 70% coated by the help program, and 30% is paid by the house owner, for techniques as much as 6.0 kW in capability.
An entire checklist of solar incentives accessible to Delaware residents may be discovered right here.
Notable installations
Delaware’s largest solar set up is the 15 MW Milford Solar Farm. Commissioned in 2012, it generates 21,000 MWh of electrical energy or sufficient to power 9,000 households, offsetting 12,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions (CO2) a 12 months. The undertaking is owned by PSEG Solar Source and the electrical energy is bought to Delaware Municipal Electric below a 20-year power buy settlement. The undertaking consists of 30 ABB inverters and 62,000 Canadian Solar modules on fixed-tilt racking techniques. Juwi solar is the contractor and supplies EPC providers.
The longstanding Milford undertaking is about to be eclipsed by two a lot bigger installations: the 114 MW Cedar Creek Solar Project in Townsend and the 50 MW Raceway Solar Project in Harrington. Both are at the moment below building by Freepoint Solar.
Last time, the pv journal tour of the 50 states of solar took us to neighboring New York, and subsequent we are going to proceed to journey by way of the South-Atlantic area.
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