Consumer Benefits of Clean Energy: The resilience value of residential solar + storage systems in the continental U.S.

Summary

This Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory study, published in December 2024, assesses the resilience value of residential solar-plus-storage (PVESS) systems in the continental U.S. The core challenge addressed is the increasing frequency and impact of prolonged power interruptions. The study quantifies resilience benefits by calculating a benefit-cost ratio (BCR) for adding battery storage to existing PV systems, considering regional outage characteristics, value of lost load (VOLL), and PVESS costs. Results show that PVESS significantly mitigates load loss, reducing annual expected losses from 0-63 kWh to 0-15 kWh, representing a 96% reduction. However, baseline resilience benefits alone cover only an average of 14% of storage costs, with a BCR of 0.14. Sensitivity analyses reveal that scenarios with doubled event frequency (average BCR 0.41), higher VOLL (average BCR 0.36), or advanced cost reductions (average BCR 0.41, with costs from $1055/kWh to $392/kWh) substantially improve cost-effectiveness. The 30% Investment Tax Credit (ITC) increased the average BCR to 0.20, and combined with bonus tax credits, allowed 21 out of 2,519 regions to achieve a BCR greater than 1, indicating economic viability based solely on resilience.

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