New Report Shows Rapidly Increasing Distributed Solar and Storage is Critical to Achieving President Biden’s Climate and Equity Goals at the Lowest…

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The U.S. must deploy a minimum of 103 gigawatts (GW) of distributed, local solar power and 137 GW of distributed energy storage by 2030 to achieve President Bidens climate and equity goals at the lowest cost. This is one of the core findings of a new report issued today by Local Solar for All, a broad coalition of local solar advocates, based on analysis from electric grid modeling experts Vibrant Clean Energy.

The report is part of a growing body of research that calls out the financial and societal benefits of significantly growing the amount of local, distributed solar and storage deployed on the U.S. electric grid. The U.S. Department of Energys Solar Futures Study released earlier this month and the Solar Energy Industries Associations recent 30x30 analysis each come to similar conclusions as this modeling: over the next ten years, distributed generation (community and rooftop solar) must grow between two to four times faster than in the previous decade (2010 to 2020) in order to reach the nations climate and energy goals at the lowest cost.

This modeling aligns with other research and represents a floor for how much distributed rooftop and community solar and storage will be needed to meet President Bidens clean energy, climate, and equity goals at the lowest cost, said Jeff Cramer, Executive Director of the Coalition for Community Solar Access. We have always known that customers want distributed solar and storage and that they bring significant societal benefits, but we now know that at-scale, these assets also save the grid and all ratepayers money. Congress and state policymakers should double down on the programs and policies that will accelerate the growth of community and rooftop solar and storage so we can build a clean, low-cost electric grid that works for all Americans.

Using conservative cost and technology assumptions, the report examined how to build the lowest cost grid using President Bidens climate goals as key constraints: 80% clean electricity by 2030, 50% economy-wide carbon reductions by 2030, 95% economy-wide carbon reductions by 2050, and 100% electrification of the economy by 2050.

The key findings include:

Not included in the report, but key to achieving President Bidens Justice40 goals, is the ability for 50% of local rooftop and community solar capacity to be directed to low- to moderate-income (LMI) households, which could lower the energy burden for between 8-15 million LMI households.

This study backs up the findings of other recent studies - that emphasizing local solar and battery storage, in partnership with large-scale renewables, leads to more societal benefits and lower costs, said Rob Sargent, Campaign Director for Local Solar for All. By making rooftop and community solar a priority in President Bidens plan for 80% clean energy by 2030, we can save money and create more jobs, while building the foundation for a more equitable, consumer-focused energy system powered entirely by clean electricity.

The best way to implement President Bidens goal of producing 45% of the nations electricity from solar by 2050 and enact the Justice40 Initiative is with rapid acceleration of distributed solar and battery storage, said Suzanne Leta, Head of Policy and Strategy for SunPower. American families deserve quick and decisive action from Congress to make the investments required to achieve these objectives.

"These results show home solar and batteries play a vital and necessary role in President Bidens ambitious clean energy and infrastructure goals, said Anne Hoskins, Chief Policy Officer for Sunrun. As weve seen in previous models, investing in DERs reduces costs for everyone - and creates a clean, resilient, and equitable energy system."

The report leverages a state-of-the-art grid planning model developed by Vibrant Clean Energy called WIS:dom-P. The model analyzes trillions of data points including every potential energy resource and the direct costs and benefits associated with bringing the most cost effective resource mix to the electric grid. Importantly, unlike most traditional models, the model takes into account, and enhances the delivery of, local solar and storage generation located closer to customers on the distribution side of the grid.

The authors of this report, along with a broad coalition of advocates representing civil rights, indigenous, environment, equity, rural, and business organizations, have been calling on Congress to prioritize the equitable and just deployment of renewable energy through policies that support expanding local rooftop and community solar power for all. Advocates released a policy roadmap which, among other things, advocates for Congress to extend and expand the solar investment tax credit (ITC), create $10 billion in grant funding opportunities for rooftop and community solar, and support distributed energy resources in the Clean Electricity Performance Program (CEPP).

Find a summary of the analysis here and a slide deck highlighting key findings here. Find a list of endorsements of this report here, including representatives of Vote Solar, Earthjustice, Environment America, GreenLatinos, GRID Alternatives, the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, the Solar & Energy Storage Association of Puerto Rico, and Solar United Neighbors.

Join advocates for a webinar reviewing the findings at 3:00pm ET on Thursday, October 7. Register here.

ABOUT LOCAL SOLAR FOR ALL

Local Solar for Alls mission is to create a safer, more affordable, and equitable way to supply power to our communities. The campaign is focused on promoting the benefits of local clean energy production and encouraging federal and state governments to accelerate the development of a more decentralized, distributed energy system. The campaign is being run by solar energy and storage companies, clean energy industry groups, and non-profits including the Coalition for Community Solar Access, Vote Solar, Solar United Neighbors, Sunrun, SunPower, Engie, IGS, and Sunnova. For more information, visit http://www.localsolarforall.org.

Continued here:

New Report Shows Rapidly Increasing Distributed Solar and Storage is Critical to Achieving President Biden's Climate and Equity Goals at the Lowest...