Let it grow: How community solar policy can increase PV adoption in cities

Nuñez-Jimenez A, Mehta P, Griego D (2023)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2023

Journal

Energy Policy Elsevier

Book Volume: 175

Article Number: 113477

DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2023.113477

Abstract

Decarbonizing urban energy consumption is critical for addressing climate change, yet renewable power installations in cities are rare due to limited space and economic unattractiveness. Community solar, where multiple electricity users share the electricity generated by their rooftop PV systems, could help overcome these barriers and accelerate PV adoption in cities. Using an agent-based model, we simulated the decision-making of nearly 5000 building owners in a city district in Zurich, Switzerland, and assessed three locally relevant policy scenarios: no community solar, community solar with adjacent buildings, and community solar with buildings within a 100-meter radius. The results show that allowing community solar with adjacent buildings increases the installed PV capacity in 2035 by 1%, as greater economies of scale and higher self-consumption make PV adoption more economically attractive. A more permissive policy, allowing community solar with buildings within a 100-meter radius, provides more opportunities to communities to grow over time and results in 21% more PV installed capacity in 2035 than without community solar. These findings demonstrate the potential of community solar to accelerate PV adoption in cities and underscore the significant role of policy design in achieving this goal.

Authors with CRIS profile

Prakhar Mehta Juniorprofessur für Digitale Transformation

Involved external institutions

Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich (ETHZ) / Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich CH Switzerland (CH)

How to cite

APA:

Nuñez-Jimenez, A., Mehta, P., & Griego, D. (2023). Let it grow: How community solar policy can increase PV adoption in cities. Energy Policy, 175. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2023.113477

MLA:

Nuñez-Jimenez, Alejandro, Prakhar Mehta, and Danielle Griego. "Let it grow: How community solar policy can increase PV adoption in cities." Energy Policy 175 (2023).

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