Earth Day 45


Earth Day 2015

In celebration of today’s 45th annual Earth Day, the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) plans to mark the historic occasion every 2.5 minutes of every hour of the day, as a new solar installation is completed in America. What’s more, new figures from the  U.S. Solar Market Insight 2014 Year in Review show a record amount of new, clean solar energy coming online over the next 20 months, greatly benefitting the environment.

On April 22, 1970, when the very first Earth Day was held, there was virtually no solar energy powering the grid in the United States. How times have changed. Today, there are 20 gigawatts (GW) of installed solar capacity in the U.S. – enough to power more than 4 million American homes – and we’re going to double both of those numbers by the end of next year! That’s our commitment to America – and to our planet. By the end of 2016, solar is expected to offset nearly 45 million metric tons of harmful carbon emissions, the equivalent of removing nearly 10 million cars off U.S. roads and highways, or shuttering 12 coal-fired plants. That’s a pretty impressive ‘high five’ for our environment.

Today, the U.S. solar industry employs 174,000 Americans nationwide – more than tech giants Apple, Google, Facebook and Twitter combined – and pumps nearly $18 billion a year into our economy.  For our industry, this truly is an exciting and promising time to be celebrating Earth Day. As the old saying goes, ‘actions speak louder than words,’ and every new solar system that comes online today represents a win for the future of our planet.

Help us spread the word by sharing the power of solar with friends and family and on social media. Follow us on Twitter to stay informed about the solar industry, and make sure to like us on Facebook and become part of the Million Voices For Solar. 

Thank you for all that you do,

Ken Johnson,
Vice President, Communications
Solar Energy Industries Association