Strong Solar Forecast for DMV Region

When people think about states with huge solar potential, places like California usually come to mind. However, a new report, “Decarb America,” released by Third Way, Clean Air Task Force and the Bipartisan Policy Center, shows that there are exponential growth opportunities for solar in places not usually associated with renewables such as Minnesota and Georgia. Moreover, to achieve the goals of the Paris Climate Accord, meet President Biden’s target of a carbon free grid by 2035 and ultimately achieve a net-zero carbon economy by 2050, this is an opportunity that must be realized in all 50 states. Luckily with solar and wind already less expensive than fossil fuel power generation this is a challenge that will bring a net benefit not only for the planet but for our economy as well. 

The Mid-Atlantic region is no exception. In fact, as a solar developer there are few better places to work than Maryland, DC, and Virginia. The report highlights the growth potential of the region in their interactive state by state tool. This tool allows users to play-out solar growth trajectories under various policy/adoption scenarios such as “Net Zero: No Fossil Fuels” or “Net Zero: High Renewables/High Electrification”. Users are also able to see solar growth in rooftop solar vs utility scale groundmount installation.

As we at Aurora Energy primarily focuses on rooftop solar, it was interesting and encouraging to see that under several different scenarios rooftop solar’s future in the Mid-Atlantic is bright. Below is a graph showing the report’s projection for rooftop solar growth in Maryland and Virginia from today through 2050.