Incorporating Solar Technologies in the Utility Resource Planning Process

Todays utility planners have a different market and economic context than their predecessors, including planning for the growth of renewable energy. State and federal support policies, solar photovoltaic (PV) price declines, and the introduction of new business models for solar PV ownership are leading to increasing interest in solar technologies (especially PV); however, solar introduces myriad new variables into the utility resource planning decision. This text focuses on the treatment of solar generation in electric utility resource planning and provides and evaluation of solar valuation methods used in utility planning and procurement processes.