By Theresa Ficazzola
According to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), the solar industry’s premier national trade association, solar installations “skyrocketed” in 2023, mostly as a result of the solar incentives offered through the Inflation Reduction Act. That means more Americans are taking advantage of the government’s incentives to “go solar” and help the planet move toward more green energy solutions.
More Good News from the SEIA (as of December 2023)
· Solar accounted for over 50% of new electricity capacity added to the grid for the first time in history.
· The US solar industry added 32.4 gigawatts (GW) of new electricity in 2023, a 37% increase from 2021’s previous record and a 51% increase from 2022.
· Every solar market segment grew in 2023, bringing total installed solar capacity in the US to 177 GW with nearly 800,000 Americans adding solar to their homes.
· Solar module manufacturing capacity grew from 8.5 GW to 16.1 GW in 2023.
· Texas led the nation for new solar installations, beating out California for the second time in the last three years. However, California still leads the nation with roughly 2 million solar installations throughout the state.
· More than half of US states have 1 GW of total installed solar.
· Total US solar capacity is expected to grow to 673 GW by 2034, enough to power over 100 million homes.
· Prices have fallen 43% over the last 10 years.
The Good News Keeps on Coming
As of the first quarter of 2024, the US exceeded five million solar installations. This comes just eight years after the US reached one million installations in 2016, a milestone that took 40 years to achieve.
The residential solar sector accounts for 97% of all solar installations in the US. Today, 7% of US homes have solar, and this number is expected to grow to over 15% by 2030.
Solar in New York (as reported by SEIA)
· Ranked 8th in national solar capacity
· 210,220 installations
· 5,834 megawatts (MW) of solar installed
· Enough solar to power 1,032,977 homes
· The percentage of the state’s electricity from solar is 5.08%
· 11,512 solar jobs
Solar in New Jersey (as reported by SEIA)
· Ranked 10th in national solar capacity
· 194,550 installations
· 5,362 megawatts (MW) of solar installed
· Enough solar to power 915,211 homes
· The percentage of the state’s electricity from solar is 7.36%
· 6,594 solar jobs
SI Solar is Committed to the Solar Industry and its Customers
At SI Solar, we are committed to helping the solar industry achieve its goal of 30% electricity generation by 2030. You can help do your part by installing solar panels on your home.
It’s fast, easy and worry-free when you work with us at SI Solar because we provide expert advice and straight forward answers tailored to each individual client.
We pride ourselves on ensuring that all of our customers have the information they need to make intelligent, informed decisions about how solar energy can save them money and improve the quality of their lives…and the planet.
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