CHAPTER FIVEWhat's Ahead for Solar Energy
So far, we've looked at the history of solar energy, how modern solar energy systems produce electricity, whether or not a solar energy system makes sense for the reader, and the rise in utility-scale solar. In this final chapter on solar, we're going to cover what's ahead for what is quickly becoming the world's most ubiquitous energy source.
SOLAR GROWTH, SMASHING RECORDS
In 2016 solar energy in the United States nearly doubled the previous year's installation record, adding 14,626 megawatts (MW) of solar PV. That's a 95 percent increase over 2015's 7,493 MW1 (see Figure 5.1).
FIGURE 5.1 US SOLAR PV INSTALLATIONS, 2010–2016
Data source: www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/us-solar-market-grows-95-in-2016-smashes-records.
On an annual basis, US solar PV was the top source of new capacity additions for electric generation. This is the first time in history solar ranked as number one. It was 39 percent of all new generating capacity in 2016.
Abigail Ross Hopper, the president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industry Association (SEIA), put solar's record rise into the proper perspective: “What these numbers tell you is that the solar industry is a force to be reckoned with. Solar's economically winning hand is generating strong growth across all market segments nationwide, leading to more than 260,000 Americans now employed in solar.” ...