Solar power in Alabama

{{short description|Overview of solar power in the U.S. state of Alabama}}

File:US Navy 111022-N-OH262-322 A view of solar panels being installed at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.jpg

Solar power in Alabama on rooftops could theoretically provide 29.8% of all electricity used in Alabama, with 20,400 MW of solar panels potentially installed on rooftops.[http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy16osti/65586.pdf Rooftop Solar Photovoltaic Technical Potential in the United States]

Alabama was ranked 50th among US states for solar power in 2020, and 35th in Q1 of 2021, with .027% of the state's power generated by solar.{{Cite web|title=Alabama Solar|url=https://www.seia.org/state-solar-policy/alabama-solar|access-date=2021-08-29|website=Solar Energy Industries Association|language=en}}

Net metering

Offering net metering is required by federal law, but Alabama is one of only four states to not have adopted a statewide policy on net metering, which means it needs to be negotiated with the utility.[http://www.newenergychoices.org/uploads/FreeingTheGrid2011.pdf Freeing the grid] IREC best practices, based on experience, recommends no limits to net metering, individual or aggregate, and perpetual roll over of kWh credits.[http://irecusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/ASES-2009-Paper-0131-net-metering-and-IC-best-practices-1.pdf Net Metering and Interconnection Procedures Incorporating Best Practices]

Alabama Power has installed four types of solar panels in Birmingham that can be monitored on the Internet.[http://www.buildingdashboard.com/clients/alabamapower/ Solar demonstration] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120618162141/http://www.buildingdashboard.com/clients/alabamapower/ |date=2012-06-18 }} The company will pay up to 4.81¢/kWh during the summer and 3.93¢/kWh in the winter for excess generation from up to 100 kW systems.[http://www.alabamapower.com/pricing/pdf/PAE.pdf Purchase of Alternate Energy] Peak power rates are weekdays, 1 to 7 pm in summer and 5 to 9 am in winter.[http://www.alabamapower.com/pricing/time-advantage-faq.asp Time Advantage Rates FAQs] Customers choosing the Time Advantage Energy rate pay 7¢/kWh during winter peak periods and 25¢/kWh during summer peak periods. Off peak is charged 5¢/kWh. Using time advantage requires a time of use meter, and the base charge is increased by $10.50 each month.[http://www.alabamapower.com/pricing/time-advantage-rate.asp Time Advantage Rate]

Solar power projects

In 2010, one of Alabama's largest solar arrays was the 25 kW system installed at the Coastal Response Center, in Coden, Alabama.[http://www.bridgethegulfproject.org/node/201 Community center now home to one of Alabama’s largest solar power systems][http://www.sunnyportal.com/Templates/PublicPageOverview.aspx?plant=4ec2c8a8-da16-4ae7-9126-5d9e607d4df1&splang=en-US Realtime output] A $250,000 economic stimulus grant was used to install 156 solar panels on Anniston's Museum of Natural History, which was completed on August 24, 2011.[http://www.solarenergy.net/News/2171002-alabama-focus-on-solar-energy.aspx Alabama Focus on Solar Energy] The output of this 25.2 kW system can also be monitored online.[http://www.sunnyportal.com/Templates/PublicPageOverview.aspx?page=ea993c52-e7da-401e-bd30-bf88da12cb16&plant=169c61d3-8a8b-4524-af5f-835c3708980f&splang=en-US Anniston Museum Energy and Power]

River Bend Solar, completed in 2016, contributes 75 MW capacity to the TVA power grid, and reduces carbon emissions by 100,000 tons annually.{{Cite web|last=Hanley|first=Steve|date=2017-03-19|title=The Largest Solar Farm In Alabama Is Now Online|url=https://cleantechnica.com/2017/03/19/largest-solar-farm-alabama-now-online/|access-date=2021-08-29|website=CleanTechnica|language=en-US}}

LaFayette Solar Farm in LaFayette, completed in 2019, supplies 79.2 MW to Walmart.{{Cite web|date=2021|title=AL Solar|url=https://www.swinertonrenewable.com/projects/al-solar|access-date=2021-08-29|website=Swinerton Renewable Energy}}{{Cite web|last=Pillon|first=Dennis|date=2018-03-16|title=Alabama's largest solar farm unveiled to public|url=https://www.al.com/news/2018/03/alabamas_largest_solar_farm_un.html|access-date=2021-08-29|website=al.com|language=en}}{{Cite web|last=Staff Reports|date=2017-12-22|title=Swinerton Solar Energy completion of the LaFayette Solar Farm|url=https://www.valleytimes-news.com/2017/12/swinerton-solar-energy-completion-of-the-lafayette-solar-farm/|access-date=2021-08-29|website=Valley Times-News}}

In 2021, Covington Electric Cooperative, which is constructing a 100 kW solar array, is the only rural electric cooperative in Alabama with a community solar program.{{Cite web|last=Bruggers|first=James|date=2021-08-25|title=Rural Electric Co-ops in Alabama Remain Way Behind the Solar Curve|url=https://insideclimatenews.org/news/25082021/rural-electric-co-ops-alabama-solar/|access-date=2021-08-29|website=Inside Climate News|language=en-US}}

Solar panel manufacturing

In 2019, LG Electronics opened a solar panel manufacturing plant in Huntsville.{{Cite web|title=Outsourcing? Not LG – Our Solar Panels are Made by Us|url=https://www.lg.com/us/solar/blog/outsourcing-not-lg-our-solar-panels-are-made-by-us|access-date=2021-08-29|website=LG USA|language=en}}{{Cite web|date=2018-06-27|title=Huntsville's Future Brightens with LG's New Solar Panel Plant|url=https://www.huntsvilleal.gov/huntsvilles-future-brightens-with-lgs-new-solar-panel-plant/|access-date=2021-08-29|website=City of Huntsville|language=en-US}}

Statistics

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text:Birmingham Sun Hours/day (Avg = 5.00 hrs/day)

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bar:Jan color:yellow from:0 till:3.82 text:3.82 shift:(-10,50)

bar:Feb color:yellow from:0 till:4.27 text:4.27 shift:(-10,60)

bar:Mar color:yellow from:0 till:5.41 text:5.41 shift:(-10,70)

bar:Apr color:yellow from:0 till:5.77 text:5.77 shift:(-10,75)

bar:May color:yellow from:0 till:5.57 text:5.57 shift:(-10,75)

bar:Jun color:yellow from:0 till:5.65 text:5.65 shift:(-10,75)

bar:Jul color:yellow from:0 till:5.51 text:5.51 shift:(-10,75)

bar:Aug color:yellow from:0 till:5.66 text:5.66 shift:(-10,75)

bar:Sep color:yellow from:0 till:5.46 text:5.46 shift:(-10,75)

bar:Oct color:yellow from:0 till:5.17 text:5.17 shift:(-10,70)

bar:Nov color:yellow from:0 till:4.18 text:4.18 shift:(-10,55)

bar:Dec color:yellow from:0 till:3.51 text:3.51 shift:(-10,50)

:Source: NREL{{cite web|url=http://rredc.nrel.gov/solar/calculators/PVWATTS/version1/US/Alabama/Birmingham.html|title=PV Watts|publisher=NREL|access-date=12 June 2012}}

scope="col" style="background-color: #cfb;" \| Year !scope="col" style="background-color: #cfb;" \| Capacity !scope="col" style="background-color: #cfb;" \| Installed !scope="col" style="background-color: #cfb;" \| % Change
class="wikitable" \|+ Grid-connected PV capacity (MWp){{cite web\|url=http://www.irecusa.org/wp-content/uploads/IRECSolarMarketTrends-2012-web.pdf\|title=U.S. Solar Market Trends 2011\|author=Sherwood, Larry\|publisher=Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC)\|date=August 2012\|access-date=2012-08-16\|url-status=dead\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120906231846/http://www.irecusa.org/wp-content/uploads/IRECSolarMarketTrends-2012-web.pdf\|archive-date=2012-09-06}}{{cite web \|url= http://irecusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/IREC-Solar-Market-Trends-Report-June-2011-web.pdf \|title= U.S. Solar Market Trends 2010 \|last=Sherwood \|first= Larry \|publisher= Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) \|date=June 2011 \|page= 20 \|access-date= 2011-06-29}}{{cite web \|url= http://irecusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/IREC-Solar-Market-Trends-Report-2010_7-27-10_web1.pdf \|title= U.S. Solar Market Trends 2009 \|last= Sherwood \|first= Larry \|publisher= Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) \|date= July 2010 \|page= 23 \|access-date= 2010-07-28 \|url-status= dead \|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100925184512/http://irecusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/IREC-Solar-Market-Trends-Report-2010_7-27-10_web1.pdf \|archive-date= 2010-09-25 }}{{cite web \|url= http://irecusa.org/fileadmin/user_upload/NationalOutreachDocs/SolarTrendsReports/IREC_Solar_Market_Trends_Report_2008.pdf \|title= U.S. Solar Market Trends 2008 \|last= Sherwood \|first= Larry \|publisher= Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) \|date= July 2009 \|page= 16 \|access-date= 2010-07-24 \|url-status= dead \|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20091123030109/http://www.irecusa.org/fileadmin/user_upload/NationalOutreachDocs/SolarTrendsReports/IREC_Solar_Market_Trends_Report_2008.pdf \|archive-date= 2009-11-23 }}{{cite web \|url= http://www.irecusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Solar-Report-Final-July-2013-1.pdf \|title= U.S. Solar Market Trends 2012 \|last= Sherwood \|first= Larry \|publisher= Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) \|date=July 2012 \|page= 16 \|access-date= 2013-10-11}}{{cite web\|url=http://www.irecusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Final-Solar-Report-7-3-14-W-2-8.pdf\|title=U.S. Solar Market Trends 2013\|author=Sherwood, Larry\|publisher=Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC)\|date=July 2014\|access-date=2014-09-26}}[https://www.seia.org/state-solar-policy/alabama-solar Alabama Solar]
align=right \| 2009	0.2	0.1	100%
align=right \| 2010	0.4	0.2	100%
align=right \| 2011	0.5	0.1	20%
align=right \| 2012	1.1	0.6	120%
align=right \| 2013	1.9	0.8	73%
align=right \| 2014	1.9	0	0%
align=right \| 2015	2	0.1	5%
align=right \| 2016	105	103	5,150%
align=right \| 2017	215	110	105%
align=right \| 2018	263	48	22%
align=right \| 2019	283	20	7.6%
align=right \| 2020	283.1	0.1	0.03%
align=right \| 2021	577.9	294.8	%
align=right \| 2022	578	0.1	%

Year ! Total ! Jan ! Feb ! Mar ! Apr ! May ! Jun ! Jul ! Aug ! Sep ! Oct ! Nov ! Dec
class="wikitable" style="text-align:right;" \|+ Utility-scale solar generation in Alabama (GWh){{cite web\|title=Electricity Data Browser\|url=http://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/browser/\|publisher=U.S. Department of Energy\|date=March 28, 2018\|access-date=October 11, 2021}}
align=right \| 2016	41	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	11	13	7
align=right \| 2017	179	7	8	13	16	19	20	19	18	17	16	10	16
align=right \| 2018	357	20	17	32	37	39	40	39	37	33	30	17	16
align=right \| 2019	386	19	18	34	40	46	41	43	39	40	25	24	17
align=right \| 2020	371	18	21	26	40	44	41	41	38	30	28	23	21
align=right \| 2021	276	19	20	32	44	46	38	39	38

References

External links

[https://archive.today/20130414140808/http://www.dsireusa.org/incentives/index.cfm?getRE=1%3Fre=1&ee=0&state=AL Incentives and policies]
[http://www.alabamapower.com/environment/renewable-energy/solar-energy.asp Alabama Power]
[http://www.al-solar.org/ Alabama Solar Association]

Alabama

Category:Energy in Alabama