California Demand For Solar Panels Remains High - Government Study
2009年10月28日 - 5:43AM
Dow Jones News
Demand for rooftop solar-panel generation in California, one of
the world's top solar markets, has remained strong despite the
recession, helped by state subsidies and falling panel prices,
state regulators said in a quarterly report.
California homeowners and businesses filed a record number of
applications in August to receive state subsidies for installing
rooftop solar panels, the California Public Utilities Commission
said in a quarterly report released this month. The state received
more than 2,000 such applications in August, up 44% from June,
which held the previous record for applications, the CPUC said.
Meanwhile, solar panel prices, as reported to the state, fell 9%
for small installations and 13% for larger ones, the CPUC said.
While residential customers accounted for the vast majority of
state solar-subsidy applications, the state received a steady
stream of commercial applications, averaging about 85 a month from
July through September, the CPUC said. Residential applications
fell to less than 1,400 in September, the CPUC said.
Solar-panel systems less than 10 kilowatts in size averaged
about $9.02 a watt installed, down 9% from a year earlier, the CPUC
said. Solar systems larger than 10 kilowatts averaged $8.05 a watt
installed, down 13% from a year ago, according to the CPUC.
The CPUC has noted that there is a time lag in the prices
included in its data from applications. In particular, prices
quoted in solar-subsidy applications could be several months old
and not reflect current prices, which could be lower, as panel
prices--both wholesale and retail--have continued to fall over the
past year.
Customers of the state's three large utilities have signed up
for nearly 400 megawatts of solar subsidies since the state solar
program begin in 2007, with customers of PG&E Corp.'s (PCG)
northern California utility accounting for 57% of demand, customers
of Edison International's (EIX) southern California utility taking
32%, and customers of Sempra Energy's (SRE) San Diego utility
accounting for 10%.
The data should come as welcome news to the solar industry,
which has struggled against an oversupply of panels amid weak
demand as the global recession and tight credit markets have held
back sales.
California's Solar Initiative is a 10-year, $3.4 billion effort
aimed at boosting statewide installation of rooftop solar
generation, while pushing down the cost of installation.
-By Cassandra Sweet, Dow Jones Newswires; 415-439-6468;
cassandra.sweet@dowjones.com