U.S. solar panel shipments reached a record high last year, with a 10 percent increase through 2021, according to a new analysis by the Energy Information Administration.
Solar panel shipments and solar capacity have increased steadily since 2010. During this time, the cost of panels has also decreased.
For the most part, the United States is not on track to meet its climate goals. To cut greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030 and reach net-zero emissions by 2050, "we need to break record expansion rates every year for the next decade and beyond," said Princeton University's Jesse Jenkins.
Neither are we. But there can be exceptions. "Solar seems poised to do just that," Jenkins said. "So that's encouraging."
Jenkins said solar power is expected to grow more in the next two years than in the past two years, largely due to the law of inflation.
"And the long-term expansion of tax breaks that make solar energy affordable for households, businesses and utilities," he added.
The law provides significant incentives for companies wishing to manufacture solar panels and other components in the country. Currently about 90% of paintings come from abroad.
"But things are starting to change," said Abigail Ross-Hooper, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industry Association. "I think in the next three to five years, we're going to see more indoor solar manufacturing. We're seeing announcements, we're seeing innovations, and we're even starting to release tape."
Even before all this new investment, the cost of solar panels had dropped dramatically, noted Daniel Cohan of Rice University in Houston.
"Prices have dropped more than 85% in the last 12 years," says Cohan. "This makes solar power the cheapest way to add electricity to the grid."
But he added that connecting solar projects to the grid remains a challenge. "For example, here in Texas, we have over 100 gigawatts of projects waiting to come online."
Nationwide, about 1,000 GW is awaiting supply. To put that in context: the total amount of solar power added to the grid last year was less than 11 gigawatts.
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