Solar power in Vermont

Solar power in the U.S. state of Vermont provides almost 11% of the state's in-state electricity production as of 2018.^[1] A 2009 study indicated that distributed solar on rooftops can provide 18% of all electricity used in Vermont.^[2] A 2012 estimate suggests that a typical 5 kW system costing $25,000 before credits and utility savings will pay for itself in 10 years, and generate a profit of $34,956 over the rest of its 25-year life.^[3]

Solar panels at Middlebury College

U.S. solar potential

Net metering is available for up to at least 500 kW generation, but is capped at 15% of utilities peak demand. Excess generation is rolled over each month but is lost once each year. Group net metering is also allowed.^[4] Vermont is given an A for net metering and a C for interconnection.^[5] A feed-in tariff was created in 2009, but is limited to 50 MW and is fully subscribed. The cap increases by 5 to 10 MW/year starting in 2013 until it reaches 127.5 MW in 2022. It is available for solar, wind, methane, and biomass.^[6][7] Seven solar projects are receiving payments, of $0.30/kWh, for 25 years.^[8]

Installed capacity

Grid-Connected PV Capacity (MW)[9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]
Year	Capacity	Change	% Change
2007	0.7	0.2	40%
2008	1.1	0.4	57%
2009	1.7	0.6	55%
2010	3.9	2.2	129%
2011	11.7	7.8	200%
2012	28.0	16.3	139%
2013	41.5	13.6	49%
2014	64	22.5	54%
2015	107	43	67%
2016	185	78	73%
2017	220	35	19%
2018	302	82	37%
2019	355	53	18%
2020	379	24	7%
2021	397.6	18.6	4.9%
2022	417	19.4	4.8%

Solar farms

See also: List of power stations in Vermont § Solar

Source: NREL[19]

In 2012, Vermont had five solar arrays of at least 1 MW, the 2.2 MW SunGen Sharon 1 in Sharon.^[20] the 2.1 MW concentrating photovoltaics array installed in July 2011 in South Burlington,^[21][22] the 1.5 MW photovoltaic array also in South Burlington installed in October 2011,^[23] the 1 MW photovoltaic array in Ferrisburgh,^[24] and the 2 MW Williamstown Solar Project.^[25]

As of 2019, Green Mountain Power (GMP) has further constructed several solar arrays as large as 5 MW.^[26] In 2015, the 20 MW Coolidge solar farm near Ludlow was opposed by GMP, which claimed that there was no need for such utility-scale solar in the state.^[27] The farm was completed by NextEra Energy at the end of 2018.^[28]

Generation

Using data available from the U.S. Energy Information Agency's Electric Power Annual 2017^[29] and "Electric Power Monthly Data Browser",^{[30][31][32][33]} the following table summarizes Vermonts’s solar energy posture.

2017 VT Solar Energy Generation Profile

Solar-electric generation in Vermont

Year	Facilities	Summer capacity (MW)	Electric energy (GWh or M kWh)	Capacity factor	Yearly growth of generating capacity	Yearly growth of produced energy	% of VT renewable electric energy	% of VT generated electric energy	% of U.S. Solar electric energy
2018	34	98.7	143	0.165	33%	44.4%	6.09%	6.07%	0.27%
2017	31	74.2	99	0.152	13%	67.8%	4.64%	4.62%	0.19%
2016		65.7	59	0.103	118%	23%	3.10%	3.08%	0.16%
2015		32.4	48	0.169	7%	100%	2.4%	2.42%	0.19%
2014		30.2	24	.091		41%	2.10%	0.34%	0.13%

Capacity factor for each year was computed from the end-of-year summer capacity. 2017 data is from Electric Power Monthly and is subject to change.

2017 15KW Vermont Farm Solar Energy Generation Profile

A small-scale 15KW installation at a homestead in middle Vermont generated 19,480 kWh of electrical energy at a Capacity Factor of 0.15. The homestead was sending energy to the utility when it was produced and taking energy from the utility when needed. Overall, the homestead consumed 80% of its generation and sold the remaining 20% to the utility. The generation profile is shown in the chart.

Beginning with the 2014 data year, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) has estimated the distributed solar-photovoltaic generation and distributed solar-photovoltaic capacity.^[34] These non-utility-scale appraisals evaluate that Vermont generated the following amounts of additional solar energy:

Estimated distributed solar electric generation in Vermont^[35][36]

Year	Summer capacity (MW)	Electric energy (GWh or M kWh)
2018	102.3	130
2017	90.3	111
2016	59.8	76
2015	49.9	48
2014	27.9	33

See also

• Wind power in Vermont
• Solar power in the United States
• Renewable energy in the United States