Solar power in West Virginia

Solar power in West Virginia on rooftops can provide 23% of all electricity used in West Virginia from 6,300 MW of solar panels,[1] but West Virginia will be the last state in the United States to reach grid parity - the point where solar panels are cheaper than grid electricity - without incentives, due to the low cost of electricity - about $0.062/kWh. The point where grid parity is reached is a product of the average insolation and the average cost of electricity. At $0.062/kWh and 4.3 sun-hours/day, solar panels would need to come down to ~$1,850/kW installed to achieve grid parity. The first state in the US to achieve grid parity was Hawaii.[2] Solar power's favorable carbon footprint compared to fossil fuels is a major motivation for expanding renewable energy in the state[3], especially when compared to coal to generate electrical power.[4]

US solar potential

Net metering is available continuously to residential consumers generating up to 25 kW and up to 2 MW for industrial users but is limited to 3% of peak demand the previous year.[5] In addition to the 30% federal tax credit, West Virginia has a 30% tax credit, but unlike the federal credit, is limited to $2,000. A $7,000 system can therefore be installed for $2,900.[6]

In 2012 the largest solar array in West Virginia was the 407 kW array installed on a carport at the American Public University System financial center in Charles Town, which includes 15 charging stations for electric cars.[7]

Statistics
Source: NREL[8]
Grid-Connected PV Capacity (MW)[9][10][11][12][13][14][15]
Year Capacity Installed % Change
2010<0.1<0.1
20110.60.6
20121.71.1183%
20132.20.529%
20142.60.418%
20153.40.831%
20163.80.4
20175.82
20186.91.1
20199.82.9
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See also

References
  1. Rooftop Solar Photovoltaic Technical Potential in the United States
  2. Reaching Grid Parity
  3. Top 10 Reasons To Use Solar Energy At Home
  4. Energy Resources: Fossil Fuels
  5. West Virginia - Net Metering Archived 2012-04-17 at the Wayback Machine
  6. West Virginia
  7. SolarWorld Solar Panels Power Largest Solar Installation in West Virginia
  8. "PV Watts". NREL. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
  9. Sherwood, Larry (August 2012). "U.S. Solar Market Trends 2011" (PDF). Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). p. 17. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-09-06. Retrieved 2012-08-16.
  10. Sherwood, Larry (June 2011). "U.S. Solar Market Trends 2010" (PDF). Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). Retrieved 2011-06-29.
  11. Sherwood, Larry (July 2010). "U.S. Solar Market Trends 2009" (PDF). Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-09-25. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
  12. 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.
  13. Sherwood, Larry (July 2012). "U.S. Solar Market Trends 2012" (PDF). Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). p. 16. Retrieved 2013-10-11.
  14. Sherwood, Larry (July 2014). "U.S. Solar Market Trends 2013" (PDF). Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). Retrieved 2014-09-26.
  15. West Virginia Solar
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