U.S. Solar Installations Rose 66% in Q1
By Energy Interns on Jun 16, 2011 at 12:45 pm
U.S. Solar Installations Rose 66% in First Quarter
Developers installed 252 megawatts of photovoltaic power systems in the first quarter, compared with 152 megawatts a year earlier, according to a report released today by the Washington-based Solar Energy Industries Association.
“Strong demand continues to make solar one of the fastest- growing industries in the United States,” Rhone Resch, SEIA’s president, said in a statement.
Commercial and government projects accounted for 59 percent of the installations, compared with 44 percent a year earlier. Residential projects were 28 percent and the remaining 13 percent came from utility-scale plants.
The cost of installing solar power is falling, driven by lower costs for components, greater economies of scale and streamlined development and installation, the report said. Prices of solar panels in the first quarter fell about 7 percent from a year earlier.
