Solar Industry Still Growing Despite Lack of Clarity in Federal Energy Policy

Growth. In the US, we put on about a gigawatt of solar in the last 12 months. This, of course, is small in comparison to other forms of energy, but it’s the fastest growing source of energy in the US, predicted to grow to 10 gigawatts by 2015. What’s Driving It. In the main, this growth is not driven by government incentives. If anything, the incredible lack of clarity of support for solar at the federal level scares investors away like so many rabbits. The growth is fueled by ever-lowering costs, bringing solar ever closer to “grid-parity,” i.e., costs equal to coal, etc. And while consumers add more solar on their roofs, utilities are starting to bring on huge solar fields, realizing that the risk that would have been associated with coal (pollution) and nuclear (you name it) are simply not there with solar.