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Solar power in Alabama
Overview of solar power in the U.S. state of Alabama

Solar power in Alabama on rooftops could theoretically provide 29.8% of all electricity used in Alabama, with 20,400 MW of solar panels potentially installed on rooftops.

Alabama was ranked 50th among US states for solar power in 2020, and 35th in Q1 of 2021, with .027% of the state's power generated by solar.

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Net metering

Offering net metering is required by federal law, but Alabama is one of only four states to not have adopted a statewide policy on net metering, which means it needs to be negotiated with the utility.3 IREC best practices, based on experience, recommends no limits to net metering, individual or aggregate, and perpetual roll over of kWh credits.4

Alabama Power has installed four types of solar panels in Birmingham that can be monitored on the Internet.5 The company will pay up to 4.81¢/kWh during the summer and 3.93¢/kWh in the winter for excess generation from up to 100 kW systems.6 Peak power rates are weekdays, 1 to 7 pm in summer and 5 to 9 am in winter.7 Customers choosing the Time Advantage Energy rate pay 7¢/kWh during winter peak periods and 25¢/kWh during summer peak periods. Off peak is charged 5¢/kWh. Using time advantage requires a time of use meter, and the base charge is increased by $10.50 each month.8

Solar power projects

In 2010, one of Alabama's largest solar arrays was the 25 kW system installed at the Coastal Response Center, in Coden, Alabama.910 A $250,000 economic stimulus grant was used to install 156 solar panels on Anniston's Museum of Natural History, which was completed on August 24, 2011.11 The output of this 25.2 kW system can also be monitored online.12

River Bend Solar, completed in 2016, contributes 75 MW capacity to the TVA power grid, and reduces carbon emissions by 100,000 tons annually.1314

LaFayette Solar Farm in LaFayette, completed in 2019, supplies 79.2 MW to Walmart.151617

In 2021, Covington Electric Cooperative, which is constructing a 100 kW solar array, is the only rural electric cooperative in Alabama with a community solar program.18

Solar panel manufacturing

In 2019, LG Electronics opened a solar panel manufacturing plant in Huntsville.1920

Statistics

Source: NREL21
Grid-connected PV capacity (MWp)22232425262728
YearCapacityInstalled% Change
20090.20.1100%
20100.40.2100%
20110.50.120%
20121.10.6120%
20131.90.873%
20141.900%
201520.15%
20161051035,150%
2017215110105%
20182634822%
2019283207.6%
2020283.10.10.03%
2021577.9294.8%
20225780.1%
Utility-scale solar generation in Alabama (GWh)29
YearTotalJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
20164100000000011137
20171797813161920191817161016
2018357201732373940393733301716
2019386191834404641433940252417
2020371182126404441413830282321
20212761920324446383938

See also

  • Renewable energy portal
  • Energy portal
  • United States portal

References

  1. Rooftop Solar Photovoltaic Technical Potential in the United States http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy16osti/65586.pdf ↩

  2. "Alabama Solar". Solar Energy Industries Association. Retrieved 2021-08-29. https://www.seia.org/state-solar-policy/alabama-solar ↩

  3. Freeing the grid http://www.newenergychoices.org/uploads/FreeingTheGrid2011.pdf ↩

  4. Net Metering and Interconnection Procedures Incorporating Best Practices http://irecusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/ASES-2009-Paper-0131-net-metering-and-IC-best-practices-1.pdf ↩

  5. Solar demonstration Archived 2012-06-18 at the Wayback Machine http://www.buildingdashboard.com/clients/alabamapower/ ↩

  6. Purchase of Alternate Energy http://www.alabamapower.com/pricing/pdf/PAE.pdf ↩

  7. Time Advantage Rates FAQs http://www.alabamapower.com/pricing/time-advantage-faq.asp ↩

  8. Time Advantage Rate http://www.alabamapower.com/pricing/time-advantage-rate.asp ↩

  9. Community center now home to one of Alabama’s largest solar power systems http://www.bridgethegulfproject.org/node/201 ↩

  10. Realtime output http://www.sunnyportal.com/Templates/PublicPageOverview.aspx?plant=4ec2c8a8-da16-4ae7-9126-5d9e607d4df1&splang=en-US ↩

  11. Alabama Focus on Solar Energy http://www.solarenergy.net/News/2171002-alabama-focus-on-solar-energy.aspx ↩

  12. Anniston Museum Energy and Power http://www.sunnyportal.com/Templates/PublicPageOverview.aspx?page=ea993c52-e7da-401e-bd30-bf88da12cb16&plant=169c61d3-8a8b-4524-af5f-835c3708980f&splang=en-US ↩

  13. "Alabama Solar". Solar Energy Industries Association. Retrieved 2021-08-29. https://www.seia.org/state-solar-policy/alabama-solar ↩

  14. Hanley, Steve (2017-03-19). "The Largest Solar Farm In Alabama Is Now Online". CleanTechnica. Retrieved 2021-08-29. https://cleantechnica.com/2017/03/19/largest-solar-farm-alabama-now-online/ ↩

  15. "AL Solar". Swinerton Renewable Energy. 2021. Retrieved 2021-08-29. https://www.swinertonrenewable.com/projects/al-solar ↩

  16. Pillon, Dennis (2018-03-16). "Alabama's largest solar farm unveiled to public". al.com. Retrieved 2021-08-29. https://www.al.com/news/2018/03/alabamas_largest_solar_farm_un.html ↩

  17. Staff Reports (2017-12-22). "Swinerton Solar Energy completion of the LaFayette Solar Farm". Valley Times-News. Retrieved 2021-08-29. https://www.valleytimes-news.com/2017/12/swinerton-solar-energy-completion-of-the-lafayette-solar-farm/ ↩

  18. Bruggers, James (2021-08-25). "Rural Electric Co-ops in Alabama Remain Way Behind the Solar Curve". Inside Climate News. Retrieved 2021-08-29. https://insideclimatenews.org/news/25082021/rural-electric-co-ops-alabama-solar/ ↩

  19. "Outsourcing? Not LG – Our Solar Panels are Made by Us". LG USA. Retrieved 2021-08-29. https://www.lg.com/us/solar/blog/outsourcing-not-lg-our-solar-panels-are-made-by-us ↩

  20. "Huntsville's Future Brightens with LG's New Solar Panel Plant". City of Huntsville. 2018-06-27. Retrieved 2021-08-29. https://www.huntsvilleal.gov/huntsvilles-future-brightens-with-lgs-new-solar-panel-plant/ ↩

  21. "PV Watts". NREL. Retrieved 12 June 2012. http://rredc.nrel.gov/solar/calculators/PVWATTS/version1/US/Alabama/Birmingham.html ↩

  22. Sherwood, Larry (August 2012). "U.S. Solar Market Trends 2011" (PDF). Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-09-06. Retrieved 2012-08-16. https://web.archive.org/web/20120906231846/http://www.irecusa.org/wp-content/uploads/IRECSolarMarketTrends-2012-web.pdf ↩

  23. Sherwood, Larry (June 2011). "U.S. Solar Market Trends 2010" (PDF). Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). p. 20. Retrieved 2011-06-29. http://irecusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/IREC-Solar-Market-Trends-Report-June-2011-web.pdf ↩

  24. Sherwood, Larry (July 2010). "U.S. Solar Market Trends 2009" (PDF). Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). p. 23. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-09-25. Retrieved 2010-07-28. https://web.archive.org/web/20100925184512/http://irecusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/IREC-Solar-Market-Trends-Report-2010_7-27-10_web1.pdf ↩

  25. Sherwood, Larry (July 2009). "U.S. Solar Market Trends 2008" (PDF). Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). p. 16. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-11-23. Retrieved 2010-07-24. https://web.archive.org/web/20091123030109/http://www.irecusa.org/fileadmin/user_upload/NationalOutreachDocs/SolarTrendsReports/IREC_Solar_Market_Trends_Report_2008.pdf ↩

  26. Sherwood, Larry (July 2012). "U.S. Solar Market Trends 2012" (PDF). Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). p. 16. Retrieved 2013-10-11. http://www.irecusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Solar-Report-Final-July-2013-1.pdf ↩

  27. Sherwood, Larry (July 2014). "U.S. Solar Market Trends 2013" (PDF). Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). Retrieved 2014-09-26. http://www.irecusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Final-Solar-Report-7-3-14-W-2-8.pdf ↩

  28. Alabama Solar https://www.seia.org/state-solar-policy/alabama-solar ↩

  29. "Electricity Data Browser". U.S. Department of Energy. March 28, 2018. Retrieved October 11, 2021. http://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/browser/ ↩