Solar Photovoltaics (PV) will be an essential component of the electricity portfolio of the future. Solar PV costs have declined substantially and installed capacity has grown rapidly. Despite this progress, there are numerous barriers to the adoption and integration of solar into electricity markets worldwide. The objective of our research program is to analyze the impacts of existing policies and regulations and to consider alternative mechanisms to alleviate these barriers. One particular solution to the intermittency of solar PV output that has gained substantial traction over the past couple of years is coupling solar PV systems with battery storage. In several recent research projects, we analyze the interaction between battery storage and solar PV systems.
We have written and published several research papers that analyze the impact of regulations and compensation policies on investment in and the electricity network value of solar PV systems. These projects focus on: (i) the interaction between retail rate design and investment in rooftop solar PV and (ii) the impact that renewable compensation policies have on the types of resources that are constructed via renewable procurement auctions. In the next two years, we anticipate submitting and publishing several research papers that analyze the impacts of coupling solar PV and battery storage systems on managing intermittency, carbon emissions, and cost-shifting concerns across different consumer groups. This research aims to improve the design of policies that attempt to motivate the adoption of cost-effective solar PV in the utility industry.