According to a new report from the Environment America Research Policy Institute, solar capacity is growing so fast in the United States that the nation could potentially generate 10 per cent of its electricity with solar power by 2030.
In the past three years, solar electricity – defined as distributed PV, rooftop and utility-scale PV and CSP systems – in the U.S. increased by 77 per cent. Over half of this growth occurred in the first half of 2014.
Even if this pace were curbed to just 22 per cent growth year on year, researchers found America would be on track to produce 10 per cent of its energy from solar in under two decades.
Solar is currently the fastest growing industry in the U.S., adding 143,000 jobs in 2013 and attracting $15 billion in private and public investment.
As solar technology improves and installation costs continue to fall, the report estimates the USA could produce 100 times more electricity than it consumes using solar panels and installing solar power systems on 35 million commercial and residential rooftops.
“We can get to 10 per cent solar by 2030 if we just keep our foot on the accelerator,” said Rob Sargent, Energy Program Director for Environment America and co-author of the report. “That’s a small fraction of what’s possible, but it will make a big difference in the quality of our lives and our children’s future.”
Reaching the 10 per cent goal would deliver half the emissions savings required under the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Act and result in a reduction in America’s carbon pollution by 280 million metric tons in 2030 – the equivalent of taking 59 million cars off the road.
“When it comes to solar energy, the sky’s the limit,” said Sargent. “Getting to 10 per cent solar is the just the first step to a future powered entirely by pollution-free energy.”
The report, Star Power: The Growing Role of Solar Energy in America, can be downloaded here (PDF).
