USA: 30% lisää aurinkoenergiaa 2016

The U.S. solar market hit an astonishing record in 2016, installing 14.6 GW of PV power. This represents a 95% increase over the previous record of 7,493 MW installed in 2015, according to a report from GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association. Solar panels on rooftops and fields accounted for 39% of new generation last year, beating 29% contribution from natural gas and 26% from wind.

The U.S. is now home to more than 1.3 million solar PV installations with a capacity of over 40 GW, enough to supply electricity to 8.3 million households.

The progress was led by large fields of solar arrays, which generally cost less than putting panels on rooftops. Utility-scale development grew 145% last year, the most in the industry, as costs became increasingly competitive with power produced from gas, according to the report. [emp]