Just over a year ago, ILSR released a report questioning whether bigger was better in renewable energy. We examined the relative costs of big, remote wind and solar compared to near, distributed renewable power. The conclusion was that renewable energy is competitive at all sizes. But our solar comparison was lacking a key element: what do grid customers actually pay for distributed solar, when taking into account the cost of delivery and the portion of energy that solar owners use for themselves? What is the value of local spending on distributed solar projects?
It’s a result that may surprise many in the energy industry.
