U.S. Solar Installations Jump in First Quarter

Reuters

Solar installations in the United States jumped 85 percent in the first quarter of 2012 from the previous year, according to an industry report that prompted a research firm and a lobbying group to raise their capacity forecasts for the year.

That growth comes despite the pain solar panel makers around the globe have suffered in recent months as an oversupply of equipment nearly erased their profits and sent their share prices tumbling.