Expanded EIA Data on Small-Scale Solar ‘Important Step Forward,’ SEIA Says
December 3, 2015
By Jennifer Delony
Associate Editor

The U.S. Energy Information Administration's (EIA) recent decision to provide monthly estimates of small-scale distributed solar PV electricity generation and capacity by state and sector is an important step for the solar industry, Justin Baca, senior director of research, Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), said on Dec. 2.

The EIA on Dec. 1 released its first monthly statistics for the small-scale solar sector, saying that of the total 3.5 million MWh of U.S. solar generation in September, 33 percent came from small-scale solar PV and 67 percent came from utility-scale solar.

“By expanding its reporting of solar energy data, EIA has taken an important step forward in recognizing the growing role solar energy plays, and will play moving forward, in our national energy mix,” Baca said. “As we go into what we expect to be an unprecedented year for solar energy in the U.S., we look forward to working with the EIA to refine its coverage of solar as an indispensable player in our nation’s clean energy future.”

The EIA said that its previous Electric Power Monthly reports provided state-level data only for utility-scale generation sources, including solar. National-level generation and capacity estimates for small-scale solar PV were provided on an annual basis. As Renewable Energy World reported, the SEIA earlier this year performed an independent analysis that found that the EIA’s data with only utility-scale solar generation underreported the amount of solar generated in the U.S. by about half.

"Generation from rooftop PV systems has become an increasingly important part of total solar generation in the United States,” ...