Solar Shows Strong Growth in 2009 Despite the Great Recession

U.S. solar electric generation capacity increased by 37 percent in 2009, showing strong growth despite the Great Recession. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), the growth was the result of increased investment in both photovoltaic and concentrating solar power. It was driven primarily by strong demand in the residential and utility-scale markets.

Solar water heating and pool heating also grew in 2009, by about 10%. Not too bad given the overall state of the economy.

SEIA attributes the good news to a combination of government policies, new business models, and declining prices. Give the continued availability of tax credits and stimulus funds this year and next, SEIA expects continued growth in solar electricity generation in 2010.

The solar industry added 17,000 new jobs in 2009 and now employs a total of 46,000 workers in the USA. Solar manufacturing showed a 7 percent increase in PV module production from 2008.

California led the country in new solar electric generation capacity with 220 MW. Other states that continued to see growth in their installed base of solar electric generation were New Jersey (57 MW), Florida (36 MW), Arizona (23 MW), Colorado (23 MW), Hawaii (14 MW), New York (12 MW), Massachusetts (10 MW), Connecticut (9 MW), and North Carolina (8 MW).

There is still room for tremendous growth in this sector. The USA currently ranks fourth in the world in new solar generation capacity with 481 MW. Increasing advances in technologies such as thin film solar, lower prices, and government policies requiring fossil fuel prices to include the costs of pollution, solar electric generation should help solar capacity to reach into the gigawatts in the near future.

www.DaviesGreenEnergy.com