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An increase in electricity generation from small-scale solar in New York has decreased the midday demand for metered electricity, amid overall declining load in the state. The trend is particularly notable in the early spring (March and April), when solar generation has an outsized impact because demand is relatively low and conditions for solar generation are favorable.
Rooftop and other photovoltaic (PV) systems with less than 1 megawatt (MW) of generating capacity are not typically metered by a utility. As this type of solar generating capacity has increased, midday demand on utilities has decreased, followed by a steeper increase in demand in the late afternoon and evening.
Total solar capacity in New York (small-scale and utility-scale) has increased by 5.6 gigawatts (GW) since 2018. Roughly half of the 5.6 GW of PV capacity additions have been small-scale solar. Because generation from small-scale solar is generally not metered by utilities, it is not distinguishable as a source of electricity generation on our Hourly Electric Grid Monitor; however, we assume it reduces electricity demand.
Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly
