In the history of solar power few years have been more dramatic than 2013. In just 365 days the US really stepped it up. In fact, at our current growth it’s predicted that we will surpass the solar power house, Germany, in solar capacity installation for the first time. In addition, we saw publicly waged legislative battles, record-breaking U.S. demand, and game-changing mergers and acquisitions. We thought we’d celebrate some of these great accomplishments by recapping some of last year’s hottest moments in solar (not in any particular order of significance). Enjoy.
- California Legislature passed four significant solar-related bills that will help to continue the hockey stick growth of the solar energy industry.
- The cost of solar panels has declined by 60% in the last two years.
- The White House added solar panels to the roof, again. President Jimmy Carter had solar thermal panels (water heating) installed back in the 1970s.
- Germany set a world record by producing the most solar energy in one month. They produced enough energy to power a city with a million people for a year in thirty days- incredible.
- In October almost 75% of the new energy capacity came from solar, proof that solar is one of the fastest growing sources of new energy in the U.S..
- New legislation will require U.S. utilities to purchase 25% of its energy from renewable sources.
- The world built more solar capacity than wind capacity for the first time ever. There was a 20% increase in solar energy production compared to wind which had a 35.5% decline over the year.
- In July, the United States surpassed its 3GW milestone for solar photovoltaic capacity. By the end of 2013, it’s estimated that there is 13GW of installed capacity which can power 2 million homes.
- California doubled its rooftop solar installations for the year from 1,000MW to 2,000MW. To get a better idea of what a big deal this is, it took California 30 years to reach the first 1,000MW.
- OneRoof Energy was voted the “Best Residential Contractor in the US”. (Okay, so this last one is us patting our own backs, but we just can’t help it.)
We’re looking forward to what records will be broken in 2014. With the cost of solar continuing to decline, paired with the ease of financing, we’re sure to have an amazing year. Do you have an energy record you would like to see broken or milestone reached in the coming year?
