Sunny skies lead to solar power record

New England hit a solar record earlier this month when the region’s over 180,000 behind-the-meter (BTM) solar power installations produced an estimated 3,200 megawatts (MW) of power between noon and 1 p.m. on May 2, 2020. These BTM systems are connected to local distribution utilities or directly at retail customer sites, meaning the ISO can’t dispatch them. Instead, we see the impact as a reduction in power system demand, and when conditions are right, as they were on May 2, it can be a significant reduction. Expect this record to be broken again in the months and years to come, as New England is expected to have nearly 8,000 MW of solar power by the end of the decade. Learn more about Solar Power in New England: Concentration and Impact and How ISO-NE forecasts behind-the-meter solar.