Four government policies are key to scaling up the solar industry in the U.S., according to a report released by the Center for American Progress.
1. Financial Incentives for the industry must be sustained over 5 to 10 year to build state-based industry, decrease costs and ensure market stability.
2. Regional regulations must make it easy for solar customers to connect to the utility grid.
3. Net metering laws are needed to ensure that solar owners will be paid for electricity contributed to the grid.
4. Rules must ensure that utilities charge consumers fairly for the electricity they consume, offering the same choices to solar and non-solar customers.
The report, titled "Developing State Solar Photovoltaic Markets: Riding the Wave to Clean Energy Independence" explains in-depth the importance of these policies in the context of four states that have developed markets for photovoltaic solar.
