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AIMS Energy

2016, Volume 4, Issue 3: 504-516. doi: 10.3934/energy.2016.3.504
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Financing options and economic impact: distributed generation using solar photovoltaic systems in Normal, Illinois

  • 1.
    Department of Technology, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, 61790-5100 USA
  • 2.
    Department of Economics, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, USA
  • Received: 30 December 2015 Accepted: 07 April 2016 Published: 14 April 2016

  • Due to increasing price volatility in fossil-fuel-produced energy, the demand for clean, renewable, and abundant energy is more prevalent than in past years. Solar photovoltaic (PV) systems have been well documented for their ability to produce electrical energy while at the same time offering support to mitigate the negative externalities associated with fossil fuel combustion. Prices for PV systems have decreased over the past few years, however residential and commercial owners may still opt out of purchasing a system due to the overall price required for a PV system installation. Therefore, determining optimal financing options for residential and small-scale purchasers is a necessity. We report on payment methods currently used for distributed community solar projects throughout the US and suggest appropriate options for purchasers in Normal, Illinois given their economic status. We also examine the jobs and total economic impact of a PV system implementation in the case study area.

    Citation: Jin H. Jo, Jamie Cross, Zachary Rose, Evan Daebel, Andrew Verderber, David G. Loomis. Financing options and economic impact: distributed generation using solar photovoltaic systems in Normal, Illinois[J]. AIMS Energy, 2016, 4(3): 504-516. doi: 10.3934/energy.2016.3.504

    Related Papers:

  • Due to increasing price volatility in fossil-fuel-produced energy, the demand for clean, renewable, and abundant energy is more prevalent than in past years. Solar photovoltaic (PV) systems have been well documented for their ability to produce electrical energy while at the same time offering support to mitigate the negative externalities associated with fossil fuel combustion. Prices for PV systems have decreased over the past few years, however residential and commercial owners may still opt out of purchasing a system due to the overall price required for a PV system installation. Therefore, determining optimal financing options for residential and small-scale purchasers is a necessity. We report on payment methods currently used for distributed community solar projects throughout the US and suggest appropriate options for purchasers in Normal, Illinois given their economic status. We also examine the jobs and total economic impact of a PV system implementation in the case study area.


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  • © 2016 the Author(s), licensee AIMS Press. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)
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