The Economic Benefits of Combining
Solar & Battery Storage
CHPC and our partners analyzed the utility bill impacts of adding energy storage to stand-alone solar at affordable rental housing properties located in three different utility service territories, all with different rate structures. The results are detailed in a new report, "
Closing the California Clean Energy Divide," the first such report ever done on these technologies in the multifamily housing sector in California. The analysis provides strong evidence that integrating energy storage with solar PV installations can improve the economics of energy investments while increasing the resiliency of affordable housing.
By integrating energy storage with energy efficiency and solar PV, multifamily property owners can take control of the energy they produce and when they consume it. Managing demand allows utility customers to lower energy use during peak periods and reduce or eliminate demand changes. These outcomes increase cost savings and will help preserve the value of solar and energy efficiency investments under future net metering policies and utility rate structures.
What does this mean for affordable housing in California?
The Multifamily Affordable Housing Solar Roofs (Multifamily Solar Roofs) program, funded from Cap-and-Trade proceeds, will provide up to $1 billion over ten years to scale integrated energy solutions for nearly one-third of the existing affordable multifamily properties in the state. The California Public Utility Commission (CPUC) is now charged with setting out the rules to implement the Multifamily Solar Roofs Program. As the proceeding gets under way, the costs and benefits of energy storage will be a key consideration, as will utility rate design. CHPC and our partners believe this new
report will provide valuable information to those proceedings.
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