Researchers from Harvard University, including Jiashu Zhu, Wenbin Zhou, Laura Diaz Anadon, and Shixiang Zhu, have conducted a study that sheds light on the impact of power outages on the adoption of residential solar photovoltaic (PV) systems in the context of a changing climate. Their findings, published in the journal Nature Energy, offer valuable insights for the energy sector, particularly in relation to grid resilience and decarbonization efforts.
The study focuses on 377,726 households in Indianapolis, US, and examines how power outages have influenced the installation of PV-only systems between 2014 and 2023. Using a sophisticated econometric panel model, the researchers quantified the causal effect of power outage exposure on the adoption of residential solar PV systems. They found that each additional hour of annual outage duration per household leads to a 0.012 percentage point decrease in the new-installation rate per year. This decline is significant, representing a 31% reduction relative to the historical mean installation rate observed between 2014 and 2023.
The researchers also projected future risks under a middle-of-the-road climate scenario (RCP 4.5). Their projections indicate that outage duration and frequency are expected to double by 2040. This trend could exacerbate a vicious cycle where grid unreliability slows down the adoption of residential solar PV systems, thereby hindering decarbonization efforts.
For the energy sector, these findings underscore the importance of integrating grid resilience with clean-energy goals. Policymakers and energy providers may need to consider strategies that enhance grid reliability to encourage the adoption of residential solar PV systems. This could include investing in grid infrastructure, implementing better outage management systems, and promoting the integration of energy storage solutions with solar PV systems to provide backup power during grid failures.
In summary, the study highlights a critical interplay between grid reliability and the adoption of residential solar PV systems. As climate change is projected to increase the frequency and duration of power outages, addressing grid resilience will be crucial for accelerating the transition to clean energy and achieving decarbonization goals.
This article is based on research available at arXiv.