Future of Grid-Tied PV Business Models: What Will Happen When PV Penetration on the Distribution Grid is Significant? Preprint

Eventually, distributed PV will become a more significant part of the generation mix. When this happens, it is expected that utilities will have to take on a more active role in the placement, operation and control of these systems. There are operational complexities and concerns of revenue erosion that will drive utilities into greater involvement of distributed PV and will create new business models. This report summarizes work done by Navigant Consulting Inc. for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory as part of the Department of Energy's work on Renewable System Integration. The objective of the work was to better understand the structure of these future business models and the research, development and demonstration (RD&D) required to support their deployment. This report describes potential future PV business models in terms of combinations of utility ownership and control of the PV assets, and the various relationships between end-users and third-party owners.