Hot market: U.S. solar surpasses 20 GW (and rising)
September 10, 2015
By William Pentland The total amount of solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity installed in the United States now exceeds 20 gigawatts (GW), according to the most recent U.S. Solar Market Insight Report from GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA).
The solar market report, which is published quarterly, says that the U.S. installed 1,393 megawatts (MW) of solar PV in the second quarter of 2015, pushing the nation's total installed capacity above the 20 GW mark. The second quarter of 2015 was also the seventh consecutive quarter in which the U.S. installed more than one gigawatt of solar PV capacity. The utility-scale solar sector accounted for more than half of all U.S. solar installations during the second quarter of 2015 with 729 MW of new capacity added. Solar deployment is growing more rapidly in the residential sector than any other. During the second quarter of 2015, a record 473 MW of solar PV was installed in the U.S. residential sector -- a 70 percent increase in capacity growth for the quarter compared to the same period the previous year. And there is still more solar on the way. According to GTM's calculations, the second half of 2015 is likely to see significantly more solar PV installed than the first half of the year. Indeed, the amount of utility-scale solar currently under construction is at a record high with 5 GW of capacity. GTM attributes this to the looming decrease in the federal solar investment tax credit, which is scheduled to be stepped down in 2017. For more:
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