Solar energy had a big year in 2013, with over 4 gigawatts (GW) of generating capacity added in the United States alone. The growth of the industry doesn’t appear anywhere close to slowing down. NPD Solarbuzz, a market research company that tracks photovoltaic solar installations, has forecasted that worldwide solar installations will total 49 GW in 2014. That’s almost five times as much solar as the United States currently possesses, and it’s an indication of just how affordable…

One of the keys to the continued growth of California solar energy is to make this technology available to all residents, no matter their earnings. While middle- and high-income earners continue to take advantage of the benefits of solar, there is a perception that renewable energy is too expensive for lower income families, despite the fact that there are financing options and programs available for these citizens. Luckily, a new law recently enacted by Governor Jerry Brown…

Recently it was reported that the solar energy industry in the United States added about 930 megawatts (MW) of installations in the third quarter of 2013. These numbers are impressive, but providing some context makes them even more remarkable. According to Greentech Media, solar power made up 72.1 percent of all new electrical generating capacity in October. Considering that the United States is in the midst of a natural gas boom, the dominance of solar energy is…

New analysis by a prominent energy lawyer indicates that California could reach its renewable portfolio standard (RPS) goal before the official due date of 2020. Under current law, state utilities must derive a third of their electricity from renewable sources such as California residential solar. But Jerry Bloom, the chairman of law firm Winston & Strawn LLP’s energy, project development and finance practice group, predicts that the state will meet its goal long before 2020. The…

The solar installation market in the United States continues to expand, with growth in the last quarter coming in at 15 percent. However, despite that increase, solar photovoltaic (PV) panel manufacturers had actually experienced a slowdown over the last two years as a result of an oversupply of solar cells. Chinese manufacturing had been “dumping” panels into the U.S. market, which dramatically lowered prices, making installations cheaper for homeowners and businesses. Now that existing inventories…

The demand for energy-efficient homes in California is rising, and home builders are producing more homes with rooftop solar panel systems than ever before. According to the Los Angeles Times, in 2012, over 4,000 new homes in the state were built with rooftop solar systems. That is almost double the number of solar-powered homes that were constructed the year before. Many analysts speculate that California homeowners are beginning to realize how much money they can save…

The cost of going solar continues to plummet. A new report from the Solar Energy Industry Association (SEIA), a solar advocacy group, and GreenTech Media, a clean technology news site, states that photovoltaic (PV) panel costs have dropped 60 percent since the first quarter of 2011. PV Magazine reports that solar panel prices fell to $3.04 per watt, down from $5.08 in Q1 of 2011. This also represented a 9.4 percent decline from the last quarter, when…

A United Nations-backed report has confirmed what many in the renewable energy industry already knew – that the dramatic drop in price of solar energy has helped encourage investment growth in renewable energy. The report, produced by French think-tank REN21, showed that global energy-generating capacity from renewable sources rose by 115 gigawatts in 2012, compared with 105 gigawatts the previous year. Although two thirds of all renewable capacity still comes from hydropower, the amount from solar is steadily…

California leads the nation in solar generating capacity with 3,761 megawatts (MW) of installed solar power. So it’s no surprise that the state was named one of the most solar friendly by the Corporate Social Responsibility Newswire (CSRN). The publication surveyed the solar programs (or lack thereof) in several regions and found that the Golden State provided both the ideal climate for solar panels, as well as good policies to encourage the construction of more photovoltaic (PV) infrastructure.…

A new report from the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) states that California residential solar customers are increasingly relying on financing agreements in order to switch to photovoltaic (PV) power. In their report, CPI found that 75 percent of the state’s solar installations in 2012 were financed or leased, up from 10 percent in 2007. In light of this fact, it’s worth considering why this trend has emerged: Leasing lets you save money now: Homeowners who want…

Every day, we hear about more companies that are signing up for solar power purchase agreements (PPA) which allow them to enjoy stable, predictable energy costs and better plan for the future. This week, it was announced that USG Corporation, a manufacturer of building supplies and systems, had entered into a PPA with Green Light Energy Corp. for its manufacturing plant in Plaster City, California. With a solar PPA contract, a company agrees to have a…

Sources are reporting to the Washington Post that the White House has finally followed through on a promise to install a solar energy system on the roof of the most famous residence in the world. The details of the system, including the cost, size and supplier, have been kept under wraps, but it was confirmed that after a delay of three years, contractors had begun installation. It’s not the first time that solar power has made its…