Dive Brief:
- The Solar Energy Industries Association has put together a video "report" of sorts, highlighting solar energy's rapid expansion between 2004 and 2014.
- In 2004 fewer than 20,000 were employed by the solar industry, SEIA said, compared with 174,000 last year.
- The group estimated installed capacity rose from 500 MW in 2004 to more than 20,000 MW, and is predicting the solar market could grow by as much as 50% next year.
Dive Insight:
Between 2004 and 2014, cumulative investment in installed solar installations in the U.S. soared from $2.6 billion to $71.1 billion, according to analysis by the Solar Energy Industries Association. And by the end of last year there was enough solar capacity in the United States to power more than 4 million homes, the group said.
“Our new video report is not only filled with important information, but it tells solar energy’s tremendous success story in a fun and visually-interesting way,” SEIA President and CEO Rhone Resch said in a statement.
As the video points out, in 2004 only two states had 10 MW of installed solar capacity, yet a decade later, 35 states had topped that threshold. And beyond that, 20 states have more than 100 MW.
But the most exciting news, Resch said, is that the industry expects "to double our total capacity in the next two years alone.”
Solar energy growth has let to significant job increases, SEIA also said. “In 2004, there were less than 20,000 people at work in the U.S. solar industry," Resch said. "Through 2014, that number had soared to 174,000 – with new jobs being added every day."
Watch the video here: