Multi-state residential transaction estimates of solar photovoltaic system premiums

Journal Article · Mon Jul 10 00:00:00 EDT 2017 · Renewable Energy Focus

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ref.2017.05.006· OSTI ID:1456973

Hoen, Ben ^[1]; Adomatis, Sandra ^[2]; Jackson, Thomas ^[3]; Graff-Zivin, Joshua ^[4]; Thayer, Mark ^[5]; Klise, Geoffrey T. ^[6]; Wiser, Ryan ^[1]

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1. Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
2. Adomatis Appraisal Services, Punta Gorda, FL (United States)
3. Real Property Analytics, Inc., College Station, TX (United States)
4. Univ. of California, San Diego, CA (United States)
5. San Diego State University, CA (United States)
6. Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

We report that as of the second quarter of 2016 more than 1.1 million solar photovoltaic (PV) homes exist in the US. Capturing the value these PV systems add to home sales is therefore important. Our study enhances the PV-home-valuation literature by analyzing 22,822 home sales, of which 3951 have PV, and which span eight states during 2002–2013. We also, for the first time, compare premiums with contributory value estimates derived from the present value of saved energy costs (income approach) and, separately, the replacement cost of systems at the time of sale (cost approach) to examine market signals. We find home buyers are consistently willing to pay PV home premiums across various states, housing and PV markets, and home types; average premiums equate to approximately $4/W or $15,000 for an average-sized 3.6-kW PV system. We find that a replacement cost net of state and federal incentives is a better proxy for premiums than gross installed costs, and that the income approach is a good signal if it accounts for tiered volumetric retail rates. Finally, other results include detailed premium analyses for PV home sub-populations.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Solar Energy Technologies Office (EE-4S)
• Grant/Contract Number: AC02-05CH11231
• OSTI ID: 1456973
• Journal Information: Renewable Energy Focus, Journal Name: Renewable Energy Focus Journal Issue: C Vol. 19-20; ISSN 1755-0084
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
Depreciation
Hedonic
Home Prices
PV
Premium
Solar