In 2013 California To Stil Lead Solar Race

California is in the lead for solar panel installation, but New Jersey is a close second – and getting closer. New Jersey has intended for increased solar photovoltaic growth within the coming year. 

A key part of the state’s plan to rebuild after Hurricane Sandy is for many home owners and housing developments will be installing back-up solar generation, either grid-tied or off-grid, which can provide power during future major outages. Despite the close race, California is projected to lead the solar race again in 2013. 

Similar to California, New Jersey has launched their own initiatives to deploy solar photovoltaic systems and to diversify their energy portfolio. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, in the second quarter of 2012, California again led the nation in installed solar capacity, with a total of 217 MW, while New Jersey had 103 MW.

Although New Jersey is making solar strides in the right direction, according to new research from Santa Clara, California-based NPD Solarbuzz, CA is projected to keep its position at number one in 2013, much thanks to its combination of policy initiatives. In 2012, energy efficient San Diego was named the country's top solar city, and the city is not ready to lose that title anytime soon.

California has one of the most ambitious Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) requirements goals in the nation: It requires both public and investor-owned utilities to procure 33 percent of all electricity delivered to retail customers from renewable sources by 2020.

California’s Go Solar California Campaign contains several policy initiatives to help the state become more solar friendly. The California Solar Initiative (CSI), for example, is the largest rate-payer-funded solar rebate program in the US. It serves homeowners who are customers of investor-owned utilities, and has supported California’s baseline market demand for solar panels.

The New Solar Homes Partnership provides financial incentives and other support to builders of new, energy efficient solar homes. This, together with the CSI and the several other rebate programs offered through the dozens of publicly owned utilities in the state are key components of the Go Solar California initiative.

The CSI offers San Diego solar customers different incentive levels based on the performance of their solar panels, including such factors as installation angle, tilt, and location rather than system capacity alone. This performance framework ensures that California is generating clean solar energy and rewarding systems that can provide maximum solar generation.