New study: Solar power delivers much more than just clean energy

Media Contacts
Emma Searson

Josh Chetwynd

Report shines a light on undervalued benefits

Environment America

BOSTON — Americans benefit from solar panels in important ways that are often overlooked by policymakers, according to The True Value of Solar: Measuring The Benefits of Rooftop Solar Power, a new study released today by Environment America Research and Policy Center and Frontier Group.  States should assess all those benefits when determining their energy policies and incentives. 

“Power from the sun is a boon to the environment, protects our health from dirtier power options and gives us a shot at leaving our kids a better world,” Susan Rakov, chair of Environment America Research and Policy Center’s Clean Energy program, said. “We need to appreciate what solar energy is really worth, and base our public policies on it.”

Valuing solar energy accurately is an important step in the creation of effective policies that support rooftop solar installations. For example, net metering policies pay solar panel owners back when they provide excess power to the grid. More than two million solar panel installations are now in use nationwide and net metering has played a significant role in that growth. Nevertheless, some state energy policies continue to put solar power at a disadvantage by failing to accurately compensate solar panel owners for the value of the energy they produce.

The new report argues that energy policies should account for the full suite of benefits associated with solar energy. Solar adds value to the grid by limiting the need to generate power at fossil fuel plants, and to make costly investments in new power capacity, distribution and transmission. Solar energy can make prices more stable, improve reliability and reduce environmental compliance costs, the study found.

Rooftop solar also delivers valuable environmental and societal benefits. When we add more clean, renewable energy to the grid, we reduce global warming emissions, along with pollution that threatens public health or contributes to soot and smog. Solar energy also reduces the need for fracking, coal extraction and other parts of the fossil fuel life-cycle, and creates local economic benefits.  

Studies that inform state solar energy policies often neglect those sweeping benefits. When solar energy is valued accurately, policies such as net metering are typically shown to provide a net benefit to all electric customers.

“Given the climate crisis we are facing, a clear-eyed and honest assessment of the actual value of solar power is essential,”  said Emma Searson, Go Solar campaign director with Environment America Research and Policy Center. “And, that true value must be reflected in our energy policies. We need to do everything in our power to encourage more Americans to go solar because it benefits everyone. Let’s not rely on bad math that undermines the very programs that make it possible.”

You can watch the full telepresser on the release of this report here.

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Environment America Research & Policy Center is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to protecting our air, water and open spaces. We work to protect the places we love, advance the environmental values we share, and win real results for our environment. Environment America Research & Policy Center is part of The Public Interest Network, which runs organizations committed to our vision of a better world, a set of core values, and a strategic approach to getting things done.