Thoughts on Solar

Thanks to our friend Yann over at SolarWakeup.com we came across this great infographic summarizing the State of U.S. Solar in 2013 and we thought we would share that with our readers along with our observations.

The folks at Greentech Media Research and the Solar Energy Industry Association (SEIA) compiled the report summarizing the State of Solar in the US, and  you can download the Executive Summary here.  Yet it is their infographic that really fired our imagination.

Solar Every 4 Minutes

The graphic notes that “a solar system is installed every four minutes” in the U.S. which is a pretty amazing stat.

We have an even more amazing stat to share that will be part of our new website roll-out this January.  While you wait, take a guess: If 2% of the households in America that wanted solar, added solar in 2014, how fast would that be?

California Leads

Even as other markets around the country grow, California still leads the way.  So let’s grow it even faster - how about allocating some of those AB 32 auction funds to refreshing the solar rebate programs around the state - particularly for non-profits?

So Long Coal?

Despite our progress - 12 GW of total solar capacity installed - we have a long way to go to displace coal. According to the U.S. EIA, as of 2012 there were 310 GW of coal capacity installed, making solar just 3.8% of coal’s share.

Rocking the Solar World

The U.S. will hit 13% of global solar installations - a 30-year high - by the end of this year and that share will grow over the next four years.

Of course, we invented this technology, we have abundant insolation resources and the people overwhelmingly want it - so all we need are the proper policies.

As we wrap up 2013 and head into a bright new year, let’s hope that we can push back the naysayers and the “not-so-smart ALECs” of the world and propel solar to reach its rightful dominance.