2013 Record Solar Installations Make US a Top Market

Published on 8 January 2014

2013 Record Solar Installations Make US a Top Market

With record-setting PV installations, the US is now the leading market for solar outside of the Asia/Pacific region.

New solar photovoltaic (PV) installations in the United States (US) reached a record 4.2 gigawatts (GW) during 2013. Since 2012, the US market has grown 15%, making it the leading solar market outside the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, according to the latest NPD Solarbuzz North America PV Markets Quarterly report.

Solar PV installed in the US during the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2013 also reached a new record high of approximately 1.4GW, which is equivalent to over 1 megawatt (MW) of solar panels being installed during each hour of daylight over the past three months.

Large-scale projects dominated the US market during 2013, accounting for more than 80%of new solar capacity deployed. The ground-mount segment, which includes most of the utility solar PV installed, reached almost 3GW in 2013 with over 1GW in Q4 2013 alone. The large rooftop market exceeded 500 megawatts (MW), which is similar to levels seen over the past few years.

The small-scale solar segment, comprised of residential and small non-residential rooftops, accounted for approximately 700 MW in 2013, which is an increase of 10 percent compared to 2012. More than three quarters of small-scale demand came from the residential segment.

California was again the leading state in the United States for installed solar PV in 2013; however, North Carolina was propelled into second place, due to strong utility-scale activity, overtaking both Arizona and New Jersey in the rankings. New Mexico and New York were new entrants, displacing Maryland and Colorado from the list.

Figure: Top 10 U.S. States for Solar PV Capacity Added in 2013

Source: NPD Solarbuzz North America PV Markets Quarterly, December 2013

via Solar Novus – Business – 2013 Record Solar Installations Make US a Top Market.