Industry Data

Today, solar energy is the fastest growing energy technology in the U.S. The U.S. solar market grew to a $6 billion industry in 2010, up 67% from $3.6 billion in 2009. As a result of growing awareness about reliable, off-the-shelf solar technology, concerns about rising costs of conventional energy, and new state and federal incentives, deployment of solar energy has exploded since 2005. Solar electric capacity installations reached 956 MW in 2010, more than double the installations from 2009. This trend is expected to continue, with solar PV installations projected to double again in 2011.

Key Data Points

Size of U.S. Market
At year end 2010, the U.S. had 2,593 megawatts (MW) of installed solar electric capacity. This included about 2,086 MW of photovoltaics (PV) and 507 MW of utility-scale concentrating solar power. Solar water heating capacity grew 5% in 2010, as 2.4 million square feet of solar water heating capacity was installed at homes and businesses throughout the country.

Ranking of U.S. Market
The U.S. ranked fourth in the world for new solar electric installations in 2010. Germany (with solar resources similar to Alaska) was first, Italy was second, the Czech Republic was third, the U.S. was fourth, and Japan was fifth. The U.S. is expected to become the largest solar market in the world in a few years.

Employment in the U.S. Solar Industry
In 2010, the U.S. solar industry employed 93,000 solar workers. For more on solar jobs in the U.S., see The Solar Foundation's National Solar Jobs Census 2010.

For more on what happened in the U.S. solar industry in 2010, including data on state markets, pricing, and solar manufacturing, read the SEIA/GTM Research U.S. Solar Market Insight: 2010 Year in Review.