Using Solar to Reduce Peak Loads: Evaluating Rhode Island’s Distributed Solar Pilot

Between 2014 and 2018, the Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources conducted a pilot to explore the ability of solar to reduce peak electricity loads on the local electric distribution system, thereby postponing the need for certain utility infrastructure investments. The pilot included the targeted installation of a 250-kW single-axis tracking solar installation, a Solarize program to encourage distributed solar deployment in two municipalities, and incentives for customers to install solar systems optimized for grid support, rather than overall annual generation.

The Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources contracted with Cadmus to prepare an evaluation report assessing the outcomes of the pilot. Read the evaluation report at http://www.energy.ri.gov/electric-gas/future-grid/oer-system-reliability-solar.php.

In this webinar, Danny Musher of the Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources discussed the goals and design of the pilot, and Shawn Shaw of Cadmus presented findings from Cadmus’ recently published evaluation report on the pilot.

This webinar was presented by the Clean Energy States Alliance as part of the Solar Energy Innovation Network (SEIN).