Solar power in Rhode Island has become economical due to new technological improvements and a variety of regulatory actions and financial incentives, particularly a 30% federal tax credit, available through 2016, for any size project. A typical residential installation could pay for itself in utility bill savings in 14 years, and generate a profit for the remainder of its 25 year life. Larger systems, from 10 kW to 5 MW, receive a

feed-in tariff A feed-in tariff (FIT, FiT, standard offer contract,Couture, T., Cory, K., Kreycik, C., Williams, E., (2010)Policymaker's Guide to Feed-in Tariff Policy Design National Renewable Energy Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy advanced renewable tariff, ...

of up to 33.45¢/kWh. Due to the state's small size and comparatively low

insolation Solar irradiance is the power per unit area (surface power density) received from the Sun in the form of electromagnetic radiation in the wavelength range of the measuring instrument. Solar irradiance is measured in watts per square metre (W/m ...

, solar installations are limited to predominantly rooftop and megawatt scale installations. Approximately 23% of electricity used in

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

could be provided from rooftop solar panels.

Government policy

The

Government of Rhode Island The government of the state of Rhode Island is prescribed from a multitude of sources; the main sources are the Rhode Island Constitution, the General Laws, and executive orders. The governmental structure is modeled on the Government of the Unite ...

has taken a variety of actions in order to encourage solar energy use within the state. Nineteen schools have installed 2 kW or larger solar arrays that can be monitored on the Internet, similar to the programs in Australia and New Zealand. A variety of solar arrays have been installed at state facilities, which can also be monitored.

Net metering

The state has a

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 ...

program that allows installations of up to 5 MW of on-site electrical generation to continuously roll over any excess generation to the next month, or purchased at avoided cost. Participation is limited to 3% of utilities peak demand for Block Island Power Company and Pascoag Utility District. National Grid has no limit. Peak demand for the state for 2011 was 21,477 MW.

Renewable portfolio standard

The state adopted a Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) in 2004 which requires all retail electricity providers, including non-regulated power producers and distribution companies, to "supply 100% of their retail electricity sales from renewable resources by 2033." The Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission engaged InClime, Inc. to administer the Renewable Energy Standard Program.

Statistics

Notable Projects

Forbes Street Solar array in East Providence – Phase I is a 3 megawatt array and was switched on in December of 2013, at the time it was one of the largest solar projects in New England. In December of 2018, Phase II went online with an additional 3 megawatts. Brown University, in partnership with Constellation and Energy Development Partners plan to build a 50 megawatt solar power plant in Kingston Rhode Island on a former gravel pit. The project is estimated to offset approximately 70% of the University's energy consumption and is part of a larger effort to zero out their emissions by 2040. Little State, Big Power: Who’s Behind the Largest Solar Installation in Rhode Island?
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References

External links

Incentives and policies
{{DEFAULTSORT:Solar Power In Rhode Island

Energy in Rhode Island