Homeowner Solar PV? A Non Starter in the Boston Area12 May
SBIR CONSULTANT NOTE ON MARKET ANALYSIS FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY
SBIR Consultant – Market Analysis: There are many issues of importance to be stressed in writing a competitive SBIR proposal. One of these is market analysis: urgent need for your innovation, your competition, showstopper issues, cost, and policy/legal impediments. The blog below is an example of a snapshot market analysis where solar is off to a slow start, primarily because the cost of electricity in Massachusetts is considerably lower, than, say Hawaii. Thus, the topic below illustrates the absence of financial ‘pain’ as an impediment to solar growth in this region. Does your innovation face this type of problem?
After conducting a survey of several towns in the Boston area, I noticed that there are relatively few residential rooftop installations compared to the number of residences in a given town (e.g., There are 40 residential solar PV facilities compared to nearly 26,000 homes in the Reading Municipal Light Department region). Median household income here is about $100K, while electricity cost is approximately $0.14/kWh. With this income level and Federal/state/local financial support, you might think that more homeowners would be motivated to pursue solar PV. However, the cost of electricity here is not an issue compared to Hawaii (e.g., $0.27/kWh). Thus, there are few such residential Solar PV installations in the Boston region.
Conclusion: installation of residential solar PV is primarily a financially driven decision. Sadly, climate change and environmental stewardship are insignificant factors at best.
Tags: Boston, Cost of Electricity, Residential Solar, Solar PV