2013 A Record Year For Solar In The USA
More solar has been installed in the USA in the last 18 months than in the three decades years prior.
According to GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association’s (SEIA) Solar Market Insight Year in Review 2013, solar panel installations increased 41 percent in 2013 over 2012 to reach 4,751 megawatts (MW). Additionally, 410 MW of concentrating solar power (CSP) was made operational.
By the end of last year, more than 440,000 solar power systems were operating in the U.S.; totaling over 12,000 MW of PV and 918 MW of CSP. The market value of all PV installations completed last year has been estimated at $13.7 billion.
“2013 offered the U.S. solar market the first real glimpse of its path toward mainstream status,” said Shayle Kann, Senior Vice President at GTM Research.
Solar panels, the most rapidly growing source of renewable energy in America, is now generating enough electricity to power more than 2.2 million homes.
The final quarter of last year was the biggest quarter ever for PV installations in the USA; with 2,106 MW of capacity brought online, up 60 percent over the next best quarter (Q4 2012).
The 2013 top 10 solar states; based on the amount of capacity installed last year:
California – 2745.8MW
Arizona – 700.7MW
North Carolina – 335.4MW
Massachusetts – 237.2MW
New Jersey – 235.6MW
Hawaii – 15-.6MW
Georgia – 90.9MW
Texas – 75.2MW
New York – 69.4MW
Colorado – 55.9MW
Solar represented 29% of all new electricity generation capacity in 2013; making it the second-largest source of new generating capacity behind natural gas.
GTM Research forecasts 26 percent PV installation growth in 2014, with installations reaching nearly 6 GW. The sector to grow most rapidly will be the residential market.
Further detail from the U.S. Solar Market Insight: Year-in-Review 2013 report can be viewed here.
