Solar power in New Hampshire provides a small percentage of the state's electricity. State renewable requirements and declining prices have led to some installations.

Photovoltaics Photovoltaics (PV) is the conversion of light into electricity using semiconducting materials that exhibit the photovoltaic effect, a phenomenon studied in physics, photochemistry, and electrochemistry. The photovoltaic effect is commercially us ...

on rooftops can provide 53.4% of all electricity used in

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

, from 5,300 MW of solar panels, and 72% of the electricity used in Concord, New Hampshire. A 2016 estimate suggests that a typical 5 kW system costing $25,000 before credits and utility savings will pay for itself in 9 years, and generate a profit of $34,196 over the rest of its 25-year life. A loan or lease provides a net savings each year, including the first year. New Hampshire has a rebate program which pays $0.75/W for residential systems up to 5 kW, for up to 50% of the system cost, up to $3,750. However, New Hampshire's solar installation lagged behind nearby states such as

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

and

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, which in 2013 had 10 times and 25 times more solar, respectively.

Net metering Net metering (or net energy metering, NEM) is an electricity billing mechanism that allows consumers who generate some or all of their own electricity to use that electricity anytime, instead of when it is generated. This is particularly importa ...

is available for up to 1 MW generation, but is capped at 50 MW. Excess generation is perpetually rolled over each month, and customers can elect to be paid at avoided cost once a year. The organization Freeing the Grid gave the state a B for net metering and a D for interconnection. The state renewable portfolio standard calls for 25% of electricity from

renewable energy Renewable energy is energy that is collected from renewable resources that are naturally replenished on a human timescale. It includes sources such as sunlight, wind, the movement of water, and geothermal heat. Although most renewable energy ...

in 2025, including 0.3% from solar. Noncompliance fees are used to fund renewable energy, and resulted in payments of $1.3 million in 2009 and $2.6 million in 2010. A 2014 review by the state found the "business-as-usual" model predicted that the state's 2025 goals would not be met. In 2005, New Hampshire's largest solar array was the 50 kW installation on the roof of the Stonyfield Farm yogurt factory. It remained the largest in the state until

PSNH Public Service of New Hampshire, commonly known as PSNH, was the largest public utility in the U.S. state of New Hampshire for decades. Founded in 1926, it sold natural gas and electricity, and for a time ran electric street-railway services and ...

installed a 51 kW array on their roof in 2009. In 2012, New Hampshire's largest solar array was the 525 kW facility on the top level of the

Manchester Airport Manchester Airport is an international airport in Ringway, Manchester, England, south-west of Manchester city centre. In 2019, it was the third busiest airport in the United Kingdom in terms of passenger numbers and the busiest of those n ...

parking garage. It was removed because of glare, and reinstalled with the panels facing East instead of South. Additional panels were installed to maintain the same output. In 2022, Manchester became home to the state's largest municipal solar array, which will generate 3.8 million kilowatt-hours. The facility is located on top of a land-fill In 2015, the largest solar farm in the state was at the

Peterborough Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire until ...

wastewater treatment plant, a 942 kW installation with 3,100 solar panels on . In a pilot program, a solar panel was installed on a few utility poles, four in

Nashua Nashua may refer to: * Nashaway people, Native American tribe living in 17th-century New England Places In Australia: * Nashua, New South Wales In the United States: * Nashua, California * Nashua, Iowa * Nashua, Minnesota * Nashua, Kansas City ...

and four in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

. New Hampshire's average electricity price of 18.98¢/kWh is the fifth highest in the country.Residential Electricity Prices, July 2017(cents/kWh)
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Installed capacity

References

External links

Incentives and policies
{{Energy in the USA Energy in New Hampshire

Installed capacity

See also

References

External links