Research
March 14, 2012
New Report Finds U.S. Solar Energy Installations Soared by 109% in 2011 to 1,855 Megawatts
The U.S. Solar Market Insight 2011 Year-in-Review report covering PV and CSP installations in the 4th Quarter and for all of 2011 is now available. For the U.S. solar industry, 2011 was a historic year. The market for solar installations continued to boom, with the U.S. installing 1,855 megawatts (MW) of photovoltaic (PV) solar systems, representing 109% growth over 2010. Utility PV installations totaled 758 MW in 2011, nearly triple the 2010 level. The fourth quarter of 2011 saw 776 MW of PV installed, by far the most of any quarter in U.S. market history.
February 29, 2012
DOE Study Shows Solar Could Meet 14% of U.S. Electricity Demand by 2030, Creating 290,000 New Solar Jobs
The SunShot Vision Study found that if the cost of solar technologies declines by about 75% between 2010 and 2020, meeting the goals of the SunShot program, and solar energy from photovoltaics (PV) and concentrating solar power (CSP) installations could potentially meet 14% of U.S. electricity demand by 2030 and 27% by 2050. According to the study, the increased solar deployment could add 290,000 new solar jobs by 2030 and 390,000 new solar jobs by 2050.
December 14, 2011
New Report Shows Record Quarter for U.S. Solar Installations: PV Demand Grows 140 Percent Year-Over-Year
SEIA released the latest U.S. Solar Market Insight quarterly report, which contains Q3 2011 U.S. solar market data and an analysis of the market's major drivers and barriers. The report shows that the U.S. solar industry installed 449 MW of capacity in the third quarter, surpassing the previous record set in Q4 2010 and more than all capacity installed in 2009. Photovoltaic (PV) demand grew 140 percent over the same period last year and 39 percent over the second quarter of 2011.
October 12, 2011
New Study Shows Significant Job Growth in 2012 from One-Year Extension of Successful Treasury Program
On Oct. 12, the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) released "Economic Impact of Extending the Section 1603 Treasury Program," a report by renowned global energy analysis firm EuPD Research. The report examines projected job growth and solar deployment associated with an extension of the Section 1603 Treasury Program. According to the report, a one-year extension would result in the solar industry supporting an additional 37,394 jobs in 2012. In addition, a one-year extension would result in nearly 2,000 additional megawatts (MW) of solar installations above baseline by 2016, enough to power 400,000 homes. The report also analyzed scenarios for two and five-year extensions of the program.
September 20, 2011
New Report Shows U.S. Solar Outpaces Global Market: PV Demand Grows 69 Percent Year-Over-Year
SEIA released the latest U.S. Solar Market Insight quarterly report containing Q2 2011 core U.S. solar market data with analysis of the market's major drivers and barriers. Leading the way was the U.S. solar photovoltaics (PV) market, which installed 314 megawatts in the second quarter, 69 percent more than the same period last year and 17 percent more than the first quarter of 2011. The U.S. remains poised to install 1,750 megawatts of PV in 2011, double last year's total and enough to power 350,000 homes.
August 29, 2011
New Study Shows the U.S. Was a Net Exporter of Solar Goods in 2010
SEIA released the U.S. Solar Energy Trade Assessment 2011 showing that the U.S. was a net exporter of solar energy products by $1.88 billion. The report also shows that the U.S. was a net exporter to China by at least $240 million. Finally, the report found that $.75 of every dollar created by U.S. installations in 2010 accrued directly to the U.S. economy.
June 16, 2011
First Quarter 2011 U.S. Solar Market InsightTM Shows Year-over-Year Growth
The first quarter 2011 U.S. Solar Market InsightTM is now available. The latest report shows continued growth in all market segments and technologies compared to the first quarter of 2010. Click here to download the executive summary of the report, which includes national installation data, manufacturing production, pricing trends and demand projections. If you're interested in more detailed state and market segmentation data, click here to purchase the full report.
April 22, 2011
New Study Finds PV Homes Sell for a Premium
A new study from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) finds strong evidence that homes with PV systems installed sell for a premium over homes without solar systems. The study examined a dataset of more than 70,000 homes sold in California, almost 2,000 of which had PV systems installed at the time of sale. On average, premiums for homes with PV installed were equivalent to $5.5/W, or $17,000 for a typical 3.1 kW system. To view the full study, click here.
April 20, 2011
Iowa Solar Jobs Study Released
To help quantify the local economic benefits of a potential statewide solar incentive program, Vote Solar, the Iowa Policy Project and the Environmental Law & Policy Center authored a report entitled “Shining Bright: Growing Solar Jobs in Iowa”. The report includes a job-impact analysis by Iowa State University researcher David Swenson, who found that during the fifth year of a program to install 300 megawatts of solar power in Iowa, the equivalent of almost 5,000 jobs would be created and over $332 million in value added to Iowa’s economy.
March 17, 2011
USDA Releases Results of On-Farm Renewable Energy Production Summary
According to a first-ever survey of on-farm renewable energy production, farmers on nearly 8,000 operations nationwide reported using PV and solar thermal technologies in 2009. These farmers cited energy savings on their utility bills as the primary benefit of using renewable energy.
View the USDA press release and the full survey results.
December 14, 2010
New Report Finds U.S. is Net Exporter of Solar Products
According to an independent study by GTM Research, U.S. solar installations created $3.6 billion in direct value to the global economy in 2009. Of that, nearly 74 percent, or $2.6 billion, directly benefited the U.S. economy. Eighty-one percent of the domestic value created in the solar industry came from the photovoltaic (PV) sector, with concentrating solar power (CSP) and solar heating and cooling (SHC) making up the remaining 19 percent. The U.S. was a net exporter of solar energy products in 2009, led by the $1.1 billion in exports of polysilicon, the primary feedstock in most PV cells. For PV, China and Mexico contributed most to imports, while Germany, Japan and China were the most prominent export destinations.
View the full report and factsheet.
View the press release here.
September 09, 2010
New Research Suggests Geographic Diversity Mitigates Cost of PV Variability
Researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) examined solar insolation at 23 sites in the Southern Great Plains region to assess the impact of short-term variability on PV deployment. Their results show that, although short-term power output can vary widely at a single plant, accounting for geographic diversity can reduce variability and the potential cost increase associated with managing variability. This suggests that short-term PV variability may not limit PV deployment to the extent that was previously thought. Read the full study here.
August 31, 2010
Renewable Energy Creates More Jobs than Fossil Fuels
A study from Berkeley's Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory found that all renewable energy technologies create more jobs per unit of energy than fossil fuels. A 30% by 2030 Renewable Energy Standard combined with energy efficiency standards would create a net benefit of more than four million full-time equivalent job-years by 2030. To read the report and view the model used in the analysis, click here.
August 16, 2010
Global Fossil Fuel Subsidies Dwarf Subsidies for Renewable Energy
A recent analysis by the International Energy Agency (IEA) found that global fossil fuel consumption subsidies grew to over $500 billion in 2008, a massive increase from $342 billion in 2007. These subsidies distort energy markets, inhibiting growth in the renewable energy sector. Phasing out these subsidies would reduce primary energy demand by 5.8% in 2020, causing a decline in carbon emissions by 6.9%.
August 02, 2010
Solar and Nuclear Costs - The Historic Crossover
A recently released study from Duke University reports that in North Carolina in 2010, electricity generated from solar PV became cheaper per kWh than energy generated by nuclear facilities. The study projects that the price of electricity from PV will continue to decline while the cost of nuclear energy will rise.
May 19, 2010
Policy Impact Analysis: Treasury Grant and Manufacturing Tax Credit
EuPD Research analyzes the potential economic impact of extending the Treasury grant program and allowing solar manufacturing facilities to claim the section 48 investment tax credit. The study finds that the U.S. solar industry could support an additional 200,000 jobs in 2016 with both policy changes.
April 15, 2010
US Solar Industry Year in Review 2009
U.S. solar continued its upward trajectory in 2009. Get the details on activities in PV, CSP and Solar Thermal as well as updates on other important developments in the solar industry in this report.
Need more information? See the supplemental charts.
October 21, 2009
PV Cost Trends
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has released Tracking the Sun II, an update to its previous PV cost trends report. This latest release tracks the full installed cost of PV systems in the U.S. from 1998 through 2008 and shows a average cost decline of $0.30 per watt from 2007 to 2008.
July 23, 2009
U.S. Solar Market Trends 2008
This report from the Interstate Renewable Energy Council provides final capacity addition figures for the solar energy market in 2008. Details include a national total for solar capacity additions for photovoltiacs (PV), solar water heating for 2007 and solar pool heating collectors. The report also provides a state-by-state breakdown for installations of PV capacity.
March 24, 2009
Residential Photovoltaic Financing
This NREL report summarizes the uses of federal, state, and utility incentives to finance residential PV systems. "Solar Photovoltaic Financing: Residential Solar Deployment" shows how the variations in local incentives, solar resources and electricity prices effect the payoff of an investment in PV equipment.
March 19, 2009
US Solar Industry Year in Review 2008
The U.S. solar energy industry grew to record levels in 2008. PV Capacity grew by 342 MW, solar water heating capacity grew by 139 MW-Th, and solar pool heating grew by 762 MW-Th. To learn more on what happend in 2008, view the full report here.
February 19, 2009
"Tracking the Sun"
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory report, "Tracking the Sun," shows the declining cost of photovoltaic systems from 1998 to 2007. The report shows that most cost savings have incured in non-module costs such as installation. Over the period examined the average installed cost of a PV system has declined nearly 28 percent.
January 28, 2009
California Doubled Photovoltaic Installations in 2008
The California Public Utilities Commission's January 2009 Staff Progress Report shows that grid-connected installations of photovoltaic (PV) systems doubled from 2007 to 2008. The 160 megawatts (MW) installed in 2008 brings the total grid-connected installed capacity in California up to 441 MW.
January 26, 2009
Financing Non-Residential PV
"Finacing Non-Residential Photovoltiac Projects: Options and Implications," from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, summarizes recent innovations in non-residential photovoltaic system finance.
January 05, 2009
The Value Proposition of Solar Water Heating in California
This report describes the potential of solar water heaters in California to save natural gas, avoide greenhouse gas emissions, and create jobs.
December 12, 2008
History of Solar Investment
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory has published "A Historical Analysis of Investment in Solar Energy Technologies (2000-2007)." This paper explores the private and public investment in solar energy and how it has fueled industry growth. It shows that investment in solar technologies increased at an annual rate of 145% from 2004 to 2007. At the same time, government support as a share of total investment dropped from 50% to 4% of the total.
November 28, 2008
Supply Curves for Rooftop Photovoltaics
"Supply Curves for Rooftop Solar PV-Generated Electricity for the United States" shows methods for comparing the relative costs of PV electricity capacity based on solar resources. The report estimates total avilable rooftop capacity potential of 661,000 megawatts and generating potential of 819,000,000 megawatt-hours.
November 24, 2008
Draft Florida Renewables Assessment Study
A draft of the "Florida Renewables Assessment Study" is now available on the Florida Public Service Commission's web site. The report covers many renewable technologies including photovoltaic, concentrating solar power, and solar water heating (for systems larger than 2 MW-thermal equivalent). The draft report shows solar energy systems are cost competative under several future energy scenarios, and shows a negative cost for solar water heating in most scenarios.
November 18, 2008
Duke University report on jobs and greenhouse gas reductions
The Center on Globalization, Governance & Competitiveness at Duke University has released "Manufacturing Climate Solutions: Carbon-Reducing Technologies and U.S. Jobs." Chapter 4 of the report focuses on concentrating solar power and discusses how CSP can help replace lost jobs in the auto industry.
October 22, 2008
Solar ABCs releases three reports
The Solar America Board of Codes and Standards has released the first three in a series of reports on laws affecting solar installations. The reports explore interconnection procedures, utility external disconnect requirements, and solar access laws. You can read the full reports at the links below.
Comparison of the Four Leading Small Generator Interconnection Procedures
