Small-scale solar is having a large-scale impact on electricity demand patterns in New England.

Analysis by the Energy Department’s Energy Information Administration (EIA) showed that an increase in electricity generation from small-scale (less than 1 MW), customer-sited photovoltaic systems is changing the hourly pattern of metered electricity demand from March through May. 

The increased deployment of this type of behind-the-meter solar led to a drop in utility-supply electricity during springtime morning hours. Demand rose during evening hours.

EIA said that despite New England’s less favorable solar resources, solar capacity has increased by 3.8 GW since 2016. Of that, around 2.3 GW has been small-scale solar.

The addition altered the average hourly rate of change in electricity demand in New England, EIA data showed. From March through May 2016, hourly electricity demand generally rose by 500 MW between 8:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. By 2022, electricity demand during that same three-hour period generally fell by 800 MW.

Similarly, in spring 2016, evening electricity demand rose by 800 MW between 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. By 2022, electricity demand rose by 1,900 MW during those same three hours.