Solar power charging ahead in America
DENVER — America is building so much solar power that 10% of the country's energy needs could be generated by the sun in 15 years, says a new study urging the country to keep looking skyward for energy solutions.
Today, the country gets less than 1% of its energy from the sun. But the country also tripled its solar generation capacity in three years, and increased it tenfold from 2007 to 2013. Today, the installed solar generation systems power the equivalent of 3.2 million homes, the study says.
"Goals that even a handful of years ago seemed unimaginable ... now are wholly realistic," said Rob Sargent, co-author of the report issued Thursday by Environment America. "The rate at which solar is growing is far beyond what most people understand it to be."
Solar installations come in many forms, from the small panels installed above streetlights in New Jersey to the backyard panels serving homes in Vermont or the cooperative solar "farms" built in the desert canyons of Colorado.
Solar fans say the sun's energy is cleaner than burning fossil fuels, which contribute to climate change, and can be installed in every state. Solar also is quieter and can be installed on roofs and in fields, rather than cluttering up the horizon like large wind farms.
The report says the country's rapid increase in solar installations is due in large part to individual states' efforts. California, for instance, has set a goal of getting 33% of its electricity from renewables by 2020 and has a separate effort to install nearly 2,000 megawatts worth of solar panels on rooftops by the end of 2016. That effort is on track, says the California Public Utilities Commission.
Last year alone, California helped customers install 620 megawatts of solar power, a 73% increase from a year earlier, the commission reported this summer. California's $2.2 billion program helps people buy and install solar panels at their homes.
Sargent said the report highlights the fact that many lawmakers are making decisions about solar power based on outdated use and cost estimates. He said the rapid increase in installations has driven costs down faster than anyone expected.
"We need to keep our foot on the accelerator," he said.