As a result, says the US Solar Market Report, a new product from Renewable Analytics, a San Francisco, California-based consultancy, key factors behind future investments in solar will be driven more by the per capita income in target markets and the number of potential households in those areas.
The consultancy also believes that while the US market has been driven mainly by utility scale projects since 2010 and 2011, going forward, residential installations will gain market share as electricity prices rise and system costs for solar PV installation come down due to oversupply, economies of scale and a maturing industry.
The release of the study coincides with the launch of Renewable Analytics new web site.
Because the US market is so fragmented, the study provides a state-by-state breakdown of market potential based on solar installs, financial incentives, irradiance levels and electricity rates for residential and commercial customers, including serving utilities.
Additional information such as per capita income and power sales per customer helps identify the most promising markets.
To further identify key potential markets, Renewable Analytics has developed what it calls its “Solar Attractiveness ratio”. This ratio has been designed to make the US solar market comparable on a state‐to‐state level in order to assess their PV market potential.
Each state shows a unique combination of solar irradiance and electricity rates for a specific customer segment (residential or commercial). The ratio combines these two factors and compares the result to the average US irradiation level and weighted residential electricity rate.
The report is designed to make state‐level PV market potential visible and to provide decision‐makers with accurate data on market development, the firm says.
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