Summary:

Fires and tariff’s couldn’t keep solar energy in California down. A record number of people are switching over to solar energy. The number of households in Chico that have solar panels installed on their property or are running on some sort of solar energy plan has increased by nearly 1,500% since 2010. Thanks to California Solar Initiative, the number is only expected to grow.

Main Article:

CHICO — A record number of energy customers in California, and in Chico, are making the switch to using solar energy every year.

According to the latest report from the California Solar Initiative and the California Public Utilities Commission, California as a whole has reported higher numbers than ever for installed solar systems.

In fact, the number of households using solar energy plans in Chico increased every year by nearly 1,500% since 2010, according to Paul Moreno, PG&E spokesman.

Moreno reported numbers of solar customers, both residential and business, with a Chico mailing address showing that, since 2010, numbers of installations for solar use have consistently risen.

In 2010, 271 installations took place in Chico. That number rose to 2,198 just five years later in 2015. In 2018, a total of 4,126 installations took place, reflecting a total increase of nearly 1,500% since 2010.

In the Oroville area, 624 customers have installed solar in 2019. There were 607 installations in 2018, compared to 332 in 2015 and 38 in 2010.

For 2019 in Chico, to date the number of installations is already at 4,321.

These numbers are consistent with the report from the utilities commission for the state’s progress to switching to solar installations.

According to the California Solar Initiative report for 2019 by the commission, approximately 7,228 megawatts of solar capacity was installed at 835,252 customer sites in the large investor-owned utilities through the end of 2018, exceeding the state’s goal of 3,000 megawatts by about 241%.

The commission reported that as of Dec. 31, 2018, the California Solar Initiative General Market Program had installed 1,895.6 megawatts, exceeding the program goal of installing 1,750 megawatts.

Through the end of 2018, approximately 7,228 megawatts of solar capacity has been installed at 835,252 customer sites in PG&E, San Diego Gas & Electric and Southern California Edison territories. The report also shows that in 2018, 1,217 megawatts of solar was installed in these territories, a 5.2% increase in annual installed capacity compared to 2017.

These systems are also getting cheaper to install over time. From 2007 through 2018, the average cost of installed residential systems decreased about 53%, from $9.61 per watt to $4.55 per watt, while non-residential solar system costs decreased about 60%.

By the end of 2018, California statewide has installed approximately 8,001 megawatts of solar capacity at 926,986 customer sites, according to a release from utilities commission. The California Solar Initiative Thermal program has also approved 9,958 applications for $173.3 million in incentives of the available $250 million California Solar Initiative Thermal incentive budget.

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