Electric utilities are buying more solar power facilities in addition to augmenting their portfolios with more solar capacity, according to the Solar Electric Power Association’s “2010 SEPA Utility Solar Rankings” report released on June 9th.
In 2010, seven of the top 10 utilities with the largest additions of new solar capacity were located outside California...about 63% of the new solar capacity. “Solar power has largely been associated only with California and the Southwest, but this is no longer the case”, according to Julia Hamm, president and CEO of SEPA.
Much of the added capacity was utility-owned, central plants, which rose to 226 MW in 2010 from 46 MW the previous year. Of the 561 MW of solar power added in 2010 by the top 10 utilities (776 MW of total solar capacity was added in 2010), 140 MW are actually owned by utilities, an increase of more than 300% in utility-owned solar over 2009.
For more information on Renewable Energy please contact Dave Hall at The Hagerman Group.
