April 24, 2014 | By Barbara Vergetis Lundin

In the last four years, the solar generating capacity has increased by 418 percent, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). This includes residential and commercial rooftop and other photovoltaic (PV) capacity reported by distribution utilities as net-metered, utility-scale PV equal to or greater than 1 MW, and utility-scale solar thermal capacity greater than or equal to 1 MW.

Credit: EIA

In 2010, total solar capacity was just a small fraction of the U.S. electric generating capacity -- 0.22 percent or 2,326 MW. In just four years, this capacity increased to 12,057 MW -- a 9,731 MW or 418 percent gain -- accounting for nearly 1.13 percent of total U.S. capacity as of February 2014, according to EIA.

EIA predicts strong near-term growth based on reported planned solar capacity additions in each of the three sectors with the same drivers pushing both utility-scale solar and net-metered capacity. Proposed additions include 6,459 MW of utility-scale PV and 1,841 MW of thermal solar.

These numbers suggest that the U.S. has moved quickly in terms of adding solar capacity, perhaps taking a cue from the wind sector where EIA says growth went from 6,456 MW in January 2005 to 60,661 MW in January 2014.

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