4% U.S. Broadband Households Own Solar Panels, up From 2% in 2013

New energy research from Parks Associates reports adoption of solar panels has reached 4% of U.S. broadband households, up from 2% in 2013. Seven percent of U.S. broadband households plan to purchase a solar panel in the next 12 months.

At the Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer, February 22-24, in Austin, TX, Parks Associates analysts and solar industry executives, including Vivint Solar, Austin Energy, Silver Spring Networks, Inc. (NYSE: SSNI), SunPower, and Enphase, will examine the role of this technology in the smart home and how solar combined with storage innovations will boost the role of energy in the IoT.

“Consumers are interested in taking an active role in the energy grid — 40% of U.S. broadband households are very interested in the ability to store unused power and sell it back to the grid,” said Tom Kerber, Director of Research, Home Controls & Energy, Parks Associates. “As rooftop solar reaches retail parity across the U.S., integrating generation and smart home products can drive significant value, and at the Smart Energy Summit, we will discuss strategies and early partnerships in this area.”

In 360 View: Energy Management, Smart Home, and Utility Programs, Parks Associates notes 40% of consumers find a home energy management system that allows them to disconnect from the electric grid “very appealing.”

The Smart Energy Summit session “Solar Industry: Integration, Competition, and Impact on IoT” on Wednesday, February 24, at 8:45 a.m., will focus on consumers’ preferred payment options and the role of distributed generation in the IoT. Speakers include:

“The future of solar is not to simply exist as a stand-alone energy generation island in the home but rather to work as part of a broader integrated smart energy home. Solutions that enable homeowners to optimize their savings as well as let them better control how they consume power will quickly become a mainstream element of the residential solar experience,” said Dwain Kinghorn, Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer, Vivint Solar.

“As renewable energy penetration grows every year, it is critical that distributed energy resources providers have access to reliable networking solutions to manage their fleets, engage customers, and to provide critical grid management services to the distribution grid,” said Matt Smith, Senior Director of Utility Solutions, Silver Spring Networks. “Our experience connecting distributed energy resources depends on the combination of network coverage, open standards, and a common platform to connect and manage these distributed assets which can adjust to the ever-changing conditions of the grid.”

“SunPower customers using solar integrated with innovative smart energy technologies are actively managing their energy to maximize value and achieve personalized energy goals,” said Ivo Steklac, SunPower vice president and general manager, solar energy solutions. “It’s an extraordinary improvement over passive energy use and also has positive implications for areas such as utility grid resilience and reliability.”

“The case for going solar is even stronger now that intelligent consumption monitoring and storage can be integrated with solar. Homeowners can have more control over their energy, and utilities will benefit from a system that can seamlessly adapt to the changing dynamics of the future grid,” said Ilen Zazueta-Hall, Director, Product Management for Energy Management, Enphase.