The Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA), an educational and research non-profit focused on helping utilities integrate solar into their energy portfolios, has released its third-annual “Top Ten Utility Solar Integration Rankings.” Pacific Gas & Electric Co. topped the list of utilities with the most solar megawatts added to the grid for the second straight year with 85.2 MW, but new additions to the list and overall growth in solar integration by utilities defined 2009, according to the report.

The Top 10 utilities' solar megawatts added to the grid grew from 169 MW in 2008 to 279 in 2009, a growth of 66% in a year when electricity demand as a whole declined as the result of an economic downturn. These 10 utilities represented 80% of the survey total and are a focal point for the nation's solar activity. The results of SEPA's research suggest that this growth was sparked in part by a drop in price for photovoltaic modules and systems worldwide.

“One thing is clear from these results,” said SEPA Executive Director Julia Hamm. “Now is a great time to take another look at solar electric power. If a utility's pricing perceptions are even 12 months old, they are out of date.”

Joining the Top 10 this year are Florida Power & Light Co. at No. 4 (not ranked in 2008), Salt River Project at No. 8 (ranked 25^th in 2008) in Arizona and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power at No. 10 (ranked 12^th in 2008).

However, utilities across the country are strengthening their solar portfolios, according to SEPA's survey results. The Top 10 utilities' share of overall solar generation in the survey actually dropped from 88% in 2008 to 80% in 2009, indicating increasing solar activity by utilities outside of the Top 10.

As part of its analysis of the solar utility market, SEPA also controls for the size of a utility's customer base and presents a Top 10 list based on the solar watts-per-customer of participating utilities. That list also features newcomers this year. Specifically, Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative in Arizona (unranked in 2008) took the top spot in 2009 with 56 watts-per-customer. Also making the leap into the Top 10 this year were the City of Santa Clara/Silicon Valley Power (22.3 watts-per-customer), and Southern California Edison (15.3 watts-per-customer). Only Southern California Edison and Pacific Gas & Electric made both annual ranking lists.

One of the report's key conclusions is that utilities' solar portfolios are on the cusp of significant changes. Traditionally, solar electric markets have been distributed, consumer-focused and solar industry driven, but 2009 marked the beginning of change in market dynamics. The 2009 rankings were impacted in part by several centralized or aggregated distributed solar projects that were built or began construction, and several utilities that were directly involved in owning new solar projects. Installations on the utility side of the meter increased 267% from around 18 MW in 2008 to 65 MW in 2009 and made up 19% of the survey's total, up from 9%t the previous year.

For more information, visit www.solarelectricpower.org.