The Economic Case for Resilient Solar+Storage in the Southeast

Solar PV and battery storage (solar+storage) technologies that provide clean, reliable backup power are cost-effective for many critical community facilities in the Southeast, according to Clean Energy Group’s “Resilient Southeast” report series. The report series details a first-of-its-kind economic analysis and landscape review for solar+storage in the region. In some cases, solar+storage was found to be a positive investment based on electric bill savings alone, and, when the value of resilience is accounted for, the technologies were found to make economic sense for all cases evaluated.

The report series explores the obstacles and opportunities for development of resilient solar+storage in five cities: Atlanta, GA; Charleston, SC; Miami, FL; New Orleans, LA; and Wilmington, NC. Each of these cities has a history of increasingly severe weather and extended power outages that have left vulnerable populations without access to resources when they are most in need of assistance. The report series evaluates the case for solar+storage to serve as a clean, onsite energy source that can keep communities safe more reliably and, in many cases, more affordably than traditional backup generators. Beyond providing emergency backup power during grid outages, solar+storage systems can provide benefits throughout the year, including significant electric bill savings and valuable grid services.

In this webinar, Clean Energy Group was joined by report series partner the Alliance for Affordable Energy to discuss the findings of the report and how the results impact efforts underway in the Southeast. These presentations were followed by a Q&A with the audience.

Speakers:

• Seth Mullendore, Vice President and Project Director, Clean Energy Group
• Marriele Robinson, Program Associate, Clean Energy Group
• Logan Atkinson Burke, Executive Director, Alliance for Affordable Energy
• Matt Cox, CEO, The Greenlink Group

This webinar was presented by Clean Energy Group’s Resilient Power Project. For more information and resources, visit www.resilient-power.org.