According to
GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association*new solar PC capacity*in the United States set a new record*in 2015.* 7.3 gigawatts (GW) of solar photovoltaics (PV) were installed, exceeding natural-gas capacity additions for the first time.* In 2015 solar was up 17% over 2014 and represented almost a third*of new electric generating capacity additions in the U.S.
*
More than half of the new solar PV additions were utility-scale solar farms which was also a new record.*Over 4*GW of utility-scale solar PV were installed which represents 6 percent year-over-year growth in this segment.* The residential solar market grew 66 percent year-over-year. The non-residential market installed more than one gigawatt of new capacity in 2015,*about the same as*what was installed in this segment in 2014.*
The*increasing rate of* installations has been driven partially*by dropping prices.*
*
87%*of U.S. solar PV capacity is concentrated in 10 states.
***
Total U.S. solar PV*capacity now exceeds 25 GW, which is remarkably rapid*growth*when compared to 2010 when only 2*GW had been installed.
*
For comparison according to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA)*in 2014 about 2,500 turbines were installed, representing nearly 4.9 GW of new wind capacity.* Wind energy represented 28 %*of new generating capacity installed in 2010-2014. U.S. total wind generating capacity at the end of 2015 was 65.9 GW.*
*
Capacity is one thing and actual generation another.* According to the*
U.S. Energy Information Administration *(EIA) in 2014 actual generation statistics show that coal, natural gas, and nuclear led by a wide margin followed by conventional hydroelectric, wind and solar.
Generation (Thousand MWh)
Coal************** 1,581,710
Natural gas*** 1,126,609
Nuclear************ 797,166
Hydroelectric *** 259,367
Wind***************** 181,655
All solar***************27,227
Utility-scale solar 17,691
Distrib solar********** 9,536
أكثر...
