Solar energy installation in the United States achieves another strong year

The installation of 10.6 gigawatts of solar power in the United States in 2018 marks the third consecutive year exceeding double digits

Solar power in the United States continued its trend in 2018, adding another 10.6 gigawatts of this type of renewable energy to the country’s electrical grid. While the total amount was 2% lower than the amount that became part of its mix in 2017, the North American country continues its particular love affair with solar energy, surpassing 10 gigawatts installed for the third consecutive year.

If two years ago we asked ourselves the question What is the ceiling for solar energy in the United States? , at which time we knew that the American country installed 14.7 gigawatts of photovoltaics in 2016; two years later this question remains up in the air. And in the last three years, the Star-Spangled Banner has shone in the sun in a record-breaking manner, accumulating 14.7GW in 2016, 10.8GW in 2017 and 10.6GW in 2018. And all this in the midst of a tariff war on solar cells and modules.

On the other hand, reports such as the Solar Market Insight, launched by Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables in collaboration with the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), offer us data that, together, give a more holistic view of the growth of solar energy in the United States in recent years.

• 2018 marked the sixth consecutive year in which solar has been one of the two main sources of new generating capacity for the United States.
• Total photovoltaic capacity rose to 29% of new electricity generation capacity.
• During 2018, 13.2 GW of large-scale solar power purchase agreements were signed. Record in the history of this country.
• The total accumulated photovoltaic capacity amounts to 62.4 GW, almost 75 times more than what was installed in 2008.

More solar in the short term

Although the trend seems to be stagnant, and even in decline (risks that 2016 was a record year for the country), in the last two years, the Solar Market Insight report, launched by Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables, in collaboration with the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), highlights that the short-term energy future of the world’s largest economy depends on a greater commitment to solar energy.

Thus, according to the figures, 2019 will be a key year for the installation of solar energy in the United States, leaving these problems behind and increasing total photovoltaic energy capacity by 14%. This allows us to visualize a future in which, as experts in the field attest, installed solar capacity could double in the next five years. A clear example of the market’s firm commitment to this type of energy.