The latest report from the American Solar Energy Industry Association (SEIA), in conjunction with GTM Research, looks at the latest growth figures of the entire solar industry across the US and should make for sunny reading for installers and manufacturers of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems in that country.
The report, U.S. Solar Market Insight 3rd Quarter 2010, found that total solar PV installations nationwide had increased by 62 percent above 2009 figures. That year saw a total of 435 megawatts (MW) of installed solar panels – the trend for 2010 was much higher, almost doubling in number.
“Early fourth-quarter data suggests that there will be a late-year surge in installations, resulting in total 2010 demand of 855 MW, well above the current pace,” the report states.
Because legislative incentives supporting solar energy, such as feed in tariff policies and tax rebates, growth in the third quarter was skewed towards a small number of states which elevated the national average, namely: California, New Jersey, Florida, Arizona, and Colorado. Together, these states represented 74% of total national demand.
Perhaps more encouraging for a nation struggling through the aftermath of a financial crash, manufacture and export of photovoltaic technology experienced strong growth, from 7.1 gigawatts (GW) in 2009 to an expected 14 GW for 2010.
“As a consequence, manufacturing activity across the entire PV supply chain has been robust, and factory utilizations have been high. Many suppliers reported being sold out for 2010 as early as the first quarter (of 2010),” the report said.
This is good news as America, second only to China in the global solar panel supply chain, aims to secure the top spot in the clean energy industry.
