Greentech Lead America: In 2011, utilities added almost
1,500 MW of new utility solar capacity in the U.S, more than twice as much as
was added in 2010.
More than 62,000 PV systems of all sizes were
interconnected in 2011.
Pacific Gas & Electric led all utilities in U.S for the
fourth straight year in the most new solar energy added to its grid with 288
MW. A New Jersey utility, Public Service Electric & Gas secured the No. 2
spot with 181 MW in 2011.
According to Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA), the
top 10 utilities added more than 1 GW of solar electricity capacity in 2011.
More than 240 utilities surveyed reported nearly 1.5 GW of new solar,
equivalent to about six natural gas power plants.
In 2011, public power utilities returned to the Top 10
after none made it in 2010, with the Sacramento Municipal Utility District
(SMUD) and Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) ranking Nos. 7 and 9,
respectively.
About 39 percent of new solar
capacity came from utilities owning or contracting for solar power. Large
solar projects, greater than 10 MW each, represent the bulk of this capacity.
Both the number of systems and the percentage of growth
make solar electricity the fastest-growing electric source in the U.S. in 2011
“In addition to the photovoltaic systems added by
customers and third-party producers, much of the growth has come from the
direct actions of utilities. This is a marked shift from a few years ago, when
customer-owned, net-metered systems dominated installed solar generation.
Today, utilities are taking a greater role in the expansion of solar power in
the United States,” said Julia Hamm, president and CEO of SEPA.
The growth took place on the systems of municipal utilities and rural electric
cooperatives, as well as those of investor-owned utilities.
On a watts-per-customer basis, Vineland Municipal
Electric Utility in New Jersey took the top spot. A newcomer to the Top 10
list, the municipal utility ranked first nationally with an unprecedented 769
watts per customer after integrating approximately 19 MW of PV for its nearly
25,000 customers.
Blue Ridge Mountain Electric Membership in Georgia and Fayetteville Public
Utilities in Tennessee jumped up the list, ranking Nos. 2 and 3, respectively.
Blue Ridge Mountain is the sole rural electric cooperative utility in either of
this year’s Top 10 lists.