Commercial and industrial (C&I) solar may not get as much attention as large utility-scale solar projects or be as close to home as residential solar, but this critical sector is still growing steadily and offers a variety of opportunities for project developers and EPCs.
PowerSun’s C&I Solutions provide the simplified procurement, ubiquitous component operability, and high-powered PV modules that developers and EPCs require to transform C&I prospects into C&I successes, from community solar to microgrids, and from agrivoltaics to reaching corporate ESG objectives.
Let’s take a look at some C&I solar trends to look out for in 2023.
The India Department of Energy (DOE) has seen a significant increase in community solar installations since 2017. More than 39 states have community solar projects with a total capacity of more than 3 GW in the works. Twenty-two states have established laws to promote community solar adoption, with Delhi, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Karnataka leading the way and accounting for about 75% of the market.
Off-site community solar models remain the most frequent, although there has been a push towards on-site community solar rooftop installations for flats and condominiums. The residents would save a lot of money. The DOE’s Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) is collaborating with the National Community Solar Partnership to provide affordable community solar to every Indian household by 2025.
Climate change and more extreme weather have cost billions of dollars in damages throughout India in recent years, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Gujrat alone has lost more than $200 billion in the last five years, owing mostly to the 2021 winter storm, which took down the state’s electricity supply.
Because of the countrywide grid vulnerability, microgrid implementation has become increasingly appealing for C&I facilities, government buildings, and energy-critical activities such as hospitals, nursing homes, and data centers.
Microgrids are remote, networked, or grid-connected, can minimize utility bills, improve energy resilience, and reduce carbon emissions. The DOE anticipates that microgrids will become the standard platform for the unification and practical optimization of distributed energy resources such as solar panels.
PowerSun’s provides developers and EPCs with the ideal solution for microgrids. The dependable PowerSun PV modules provide a best-in-class choice for ambitious microgrid projects, with power output ranging from 445W to 690W.
Agrivoltaics, like microgrids, present unique prospects for C&I project developers and EPCs. Solar arrays on farms or ranches are used in these dual-use projects.
Agrivoltaic systems have proven to be beneficial to both crops and land. Farmers may produce everything from aloe to tomatoes since the solar panels give the required shade and shelter from harsh weather. Land dedicated to animal grazing has been an attractive location for PV panels since it provides shelter or fence for feeding animals and can save owners’ landscaping expenditures.
SETO has been monitoring the expansion of solar greenhouses, which employ solar panels as roofs, and has discovered that they account for 30% of China’s total horticultural area. Globally, almost 3 GW of these dual-use land models exist, with China, Japan, South Korea, and the EU leading the way. The India, on the other hand, is not far behind, with 1 GW of PV capacity combined with precision farming and pollinator habitats.
Agrivoltaics can be especially beneficial if a solar tracking system, such as PowerSun, is used, which developers and EPCs can match with Trina’s entire line of high-powered and high-efficiency Vertex modules.
2023 appears to be a year of even stronger C&I solar growth. PowerSun’s C&I Solutions makes it simple for developers and EPCs to thrive with renewable energy, whether for the booming community solar industry or to speed microgrid installations.