Solar energy took the U.S. market by storm and now the power grid has been fundamentally affected by the changing scenario of how energy is being produced and used.
Solar panel rooftop installation is steadily becoming a mainstream power source. For instance, a 2013 data compilation from the Solar Energy Industries Association and GTM Research said that solar energy had a record year in 2013 with approximately 4.75 gigawatts of solar power systems installed.
In 2014, the burgeoning solar industry continued to enjoy the same experience. The first three quarters of 2014 saw a rise of over 36% of the new electricity capacity installed in the United States from solar panel rooftop installation.
Solar panel rooftop installation continues to rise within U.S.
This is a significant increase in solar panel rooftop installation since just about 9.6% of new electricity installation came from solar in 2012. The following year, 2013, only about one third or 29% were due to solar panel rooftop installation.
According to the report from the SEIA, the growth of solar panel rooftop installation in the United States has been very dramatic. More solar was installed in the first 18 months of 2013 compared to the last 30 years. Half of these solar systems were installed in California.
Solar continued to break records last year. The solar industry started with just a small slice of the electricity pie, and currently it is still less than 1% of all U.S. electricity installations. However, it has started to vigorously make itself felt in recent years.
The cost of solar panel rooftop installation trending downward
Contributing to the continuous rise is the regular reduction in solar panel prices used in solar energy systems. The current prices of solar panels are at its cheapest, and it seems that the only direction it is going is downwards.
In addition, new types of financing are being developed to help boost the production and solar panel rooftop installation in homes and businesses. This will also help encourage the installations of larger ground-mounted solar systems that can be installed in the desert, with their generated electricity sold to the grid.
The United States experienced a boost in solar panel installation in the third quarter of last year. This was the second largest quarter ever for solar systems with around 1.35 total gigawatts installed capacity. It is about 41% more than what was installed in the same period in 2013.
Because of these additional installations, the total amount of solar systems installed and operating in the United States now runs to about 16.1 gigawatts. Incidentally, approximately 1.4 additional gigawatts are generated from solar thermal plants, which utilize mirrors to collect sunlight which produce heat and run turbines.
Predictions solar energy will soon have larger market share than natural gas energy
Currently, solar power plays a second to natural gas power plants as a source of new electricity. But solar power is really catching up because for every three minutes each day, another solar power system is being put into operation in the United States.
