Is solar+storage economical in my location? Which commercial building types are most likely to see cost-savings from solar or storage? Where are the emerging markets for solar+storage?
Use the tabs below to explore the results of cost-optimization modeling on the economics of solar+storage projects in commercial building types across the U.S.
About NREL’s Solar+Storage Optimization Modeling
This project explores the economics of solar+storage projects for commercial-scale, behind-the-meter applications. It provides insight into the near-term and future solar+storage market opportunities across the U.S.
Using NREL’s REopt Model, we explore the technically and economically optimal configurations of solar+storage for a variety of:
- climate zones,
- building load profiles,
- technology cost assumptions, and
- utility rate structures.
Questions answered include:
- Is solar+storage economical in my location?
- Which commercial building types are most likely to see cost-savings from solar or storage?
- Where are the emerging markets for solar+storage?
- Which utility rate structures encourage solar+storage deployment?
- How much do system sizes vary across buildings and locations?
- What is the role of policies and incentives in solar+storage economics?
To answer these questions, NREL identified the optimal solar+storage system design for:
- 16 commercial building types
- 17 locations across the U.S.
- 70 utility rate tariffs
- near term and long-term technology cost projections
- different incentives, policies and electricity price increases.
The results of this research are presented in the tabs at the left.
See the methodology tab for details about the assumptions, rates and building types.
Who can use these results?
- Building owners and energy managers can use the results to learn about typical system sizes for different building types or load profiles, and how utility rate structures impact economics costs.
- Policy makers and regulators can understand the impact of existing incentives, such as the investment tax credit (ITC) and net metering (NEM), on solar+storage economics. They can determine the cost at which solar+storage becomes economically viable, and design incentive and policies that encourage deployment in their location.
- Industry can use the results to explore where solar+storage markets may develop over time, as technology costs drop.
- Utilities can get a better understanding of how rate structures and load profiles impact customer decisions regarding behind-the-meter solar and/or storage investments.
