The impact of net metering on the residential rooftop PV market

Federal net metering legislation could have an enormous impact on the demand for rooftop mounted photovoltaic (PV) module systems. We estimate the potential demand for such systems as well as the willingness of the homeowner to pay for such a system. We estimate costs for producing, installing, and maintaining such systems. We conclude that the large potential market induced by net metering legislation could be reasonably met by 100 MWp/yr module factories with modest technical enhancements and cost reduction through economies of scale.