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November 18, 2015

Renewable Energy in the Northeast

Solar energy is growing across the world, in fact, the Northeast region is currently positioned to boom in opportunities for commercial solar development – and KMB is excited to be at the forefront of it. Headquartered in New York, we are a leading solar engineering firm in the renewable energy field providing photovoltaic design and engineering services across the nation and in Europe.

Sunshine States

Contrary to what might be expected: warm, sunny states like California and Hawaii are not the only good markets for solar. In the US, the Northeast is one of the regional leaders for America’s solar boom because of the high concentration of commercial buildings suitable for mid-scale commercial solar installations, businesses who are eager to minimize overhead cost risk and offset traditionally high utility rates, and finally because of the enticing solar incentives.

Top 5 States for Commercial PV

In the commercial sector, as of December 31, 2014, solar PV capacity grew by 16% in California, 4% in New Jersey, and 30% in Massachusetts, the three largest states in terms of installed commercial PV capacity and meters. The solar growth in Massachusetts is, in part, the result of several large retailers in Massachusetts adopting solar, including Walmart, Staples, Bed, Bath and Beyond, and IKEA. Below is a chart of the top five solar states (three of which are in the Northeast):

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Monthly Electric Utility Sales and Revenue Report with State Distributions (Form EIA-826)

Renewable Energy Generates Economically Viable US

In addition to becoming the explosion in the Northeast, it has also been shown that renewable energy is generating an economically viable United State. A recent analysis at the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) shows, for the first time, a method for measuring the economic potential of renewable energy across the United States. A new study applying this method found that renewable energy generation is economically viable in many parts of the United States largely due to rapidly declining technology costs.

The study also found that projected future renewable energy cost reductions yield further increases. At 2020 projected costs, economic potential equals almost half of U.S. annual generation; in 2030, further cost reductions result in over 75 percent of generation, showing the significant impact that could be realized through continued research, development and deployment that drive down renewable energy costs. This work is a follow-on analysis to NREL’s 2012 report that estimated the technical potential of U.S. renewable generation.

Commercial Solar Installations

Revealing the commercial solar potential in the Northeast can offer positive environmental benefits, as well as provide substantial cost savings to many corporations. KMB is a steward for the community and the environment and are committed to a sustainable future. That is a major reason we’ve been at the forefront of the ever-growing solar industry – solar energy is the cleanest and most abundant source of renewable energy available.

Each solar design is unique to the needs of the customer and is customized to the specific site, their local climate as well as funding, tax credits and incentives available. Trust our team of PV engineers; we bring energy to design.