While solar PV's impact on utilities has been frequently discussed the past year, little attention has been paid to the potentially impact posed by solar PV-specific rate designs (often informally referred to as solar "fees" or "taxes") upon non-hardware "soft" cost reductions. In fact, applying some rate designs to solar PV customers could potentially have a large impact on the economics of PV systems.
This report outlines a series of approaches that utilities and their regulators can adopt that provide a "softer path" to rate design and further reduction in solar PV cost.
| Date | October 2014 |
| Topic | Codes, Standards & Utility Policies; Solar Basics & Educating Consumers |
| Subprogram | Soft Costs |
| Author | NC Clean Energy Technology Center and Solar Electric Power Association |