Distributed power generation and energy storage : potential effects of extending tax incentives

Solar PV penetration has been increasing rapidly in the U.S. in recent years. This growth can be attributed to multiple factors; one of which is financial incentives in the form of tax credit programs. One of the most effective tax credit programs in the U.S. is a federal tax program known as the Investment Tax Credit (ITC). The ITC program has been extended in recent years, and is currently set to expire in the early 2020s. This work conducts scenario analysis to evaluate the effects extending the ITC will have on the Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) as opposed to allowing it to expire as it is currently set to. Particular attention is paid to the effects on LCOE as this helps evaluate whether solar PV will stay economically competitive compared to other sources of electricity and thus provides some guidance on the role of the ITC in accelerating the adoption of solar PV.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Engineering and Management Program

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2019

Author dc:creator

• Sabir, Omar O.

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Francis O'Sullivan.

• Engineering and Management Program.
• System Design and Management Program.

Statement dc:rights

• MIT theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed, downloaded, or printed from this source but further reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/122430

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/122430