Solar_power_in_Alabama

Solar power in Alabama

Solar power in Alabama

Overview of solar power in the U.S. state of Alabama

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.[1]

Solar panels

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.[2]

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.[3] IREC best practices, based on experience, recommends no limits to net metering, individual or aggregate, and perpetual roll over of kWh credits.[4]

Alabama Power has installed four types of solar panels in Birmingham that can be monitored on the Internet.[5] 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.[6] Peak power rates are weekdays, 1 to 7 pm in summer and 5 to 9 am in winter.[7] 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.[8]

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.[9][10] 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.[11] The output of this 25.2 kW system can also be monitored online.[12]

River Bend Solar, completed in 2016, contributes 75 MW capacity to the TVA power grid, and reduces carbon emissions by 100,000 tons annually.[2][13]

LaFayette Solar Farm in LaFayette, completed in 2019, supplies 79.2 MW to Walmart.[14][15][16]

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.[17]

Solar panel manufacturing

In 2019, LG Electronics opened a solar panel manufacturing plant in Huntsville.[18][19]

Statistics

Source: NREL[20]
More information Year, Capacity ...
More information Year, Total ...

See also

References

  1. [1]
    Rooftop Solar Photovoltaic Technical Potential in the United States
  2. [2]
    "Alabama Solar". Solar Energy Industries Association. Retrieved 2021-08-29.
  3. [3]
    Freeing the grid
  4. [4]
    Net Metering and Interconnection Procedures Incorporating Best Practices
  5. [5]
    Solar demonstration Archived 2012-06-18 at the Wayback Machine
  6. [6]
    Purchase of Alternate Energy
  7. [7]
    Time Advantage Rates FAQs
  8. [8]
    Time Advantage Rate
  9. [9]
    Community center now home to one of Alabama’s largest solar power systems
  10. [10]
    Realtime output
  11. [11]
    Alabama Focus on Solar Energy
  12. [12]
    Anniston Museum Energy and Power
  13. [13]
    Hanley, Steve (2017-03-19). "The Largest Solar Farm In Alabama Is Now Online". CleanTechnica. Retrieved 2021-08-29.
  14. [14]
    "AL Solar". Swinerton Renewable Energy. 2021. Retrieved 2021-08-29.
  15. [15]
    Pillon, Dennis (2018-03-16). "Alabama's largest solar farm unveiled to public". al.com. Retrieved 2021-08-29.
  16. [16]
    Staff Reports (2017-12-22). "Swinerton Solar Energy completion of the LaFayette Solar Farm". Valley Times-News. Retrieved 2021-08-29.
  17. [17]
    Bruggers, James (2021-08-25). "Rural Electric Co-ops in Alabama Remain Way Behind the Solar Curve". Inside Climate News. Retrieved 2021-08-29.
  18. [18]
    "Outsourcing? Not LG – Our Solar Panels are Made by Us". LG USA. Retrieved 2021-08-29.
  19. [19]
    "Huntsville's Future Brightens with LG's New Solar Panel Plant". City of Huntsville. 2018-06-27. Retrieved 2021-08-29.
  20. [20]
    "PV Watts". NREL. Retrieved 12 June 2012.
  21. [21]
    Sherwood, Larry (August 2012). "U.S. Solar Market Trends 2011" (PDF). Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-09-06. Retrieved 2012-08-16.
  22. [22]
    Sherwood, Larry (June 2011). "U.S. Solar Market Trends 2010" (PDF). Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). p. 20. Retrieved 2011-06-29.
  23. [23]
    Sherwood, Larry (July 2010). "U.S. Solar Market Trends 2009" (PDF). Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). p. 23. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-09-25. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
  24. [24]
    Sherwood, Larry (July 2009). "U.S. Solar Market Trends 2008" (PDF). Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). p. 16. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-11-23. Retrieved 2010-07-24.
  25. [25]
    Sherwood, Larry (July 2012). "U.S. Solar Market Trends 2012" (PDF). Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). p. 16. Retrieved 2013-10-11.
  26. [26]
    Sherwood, Larry (July 2014). "U.S. Solar Market Trends 2013" (PDF). Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). Retrieved 2014-09-26.
  27. [27]
    Alabama Solar
  28. [28]
    "Electricity Data Browser". U.S. Department of Energy. March 28, 2018. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Solar_power_in_Alabama, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.