Posted Thursday, August 31, 2017

3 Surprising Solar Statistics in 2017

There’s a lot going on in solar, and the more developments we see in solar technology, the more excited we get about helping to integrate the best solar solutions for our customers. Advances in the solar industry happen so often that we sometimes miss some of the most significant ones, so we’re spending this week’s post looking at three of the most surprising solar power industry statistics so far in 2017.

Surprising solar statistic #1: From our perspective in 2017, since 2010 the cost of installing solar has dropped by more than 70%. It’s been interesting to see the effects of this cost decrease. Urban Solar works with customers who want to reduce the amount of reliance they have on grid-sourced electricity, with the main purpose being cost reduction in electricity bills. As costs for raw materials go down (silicon, aluminum, cabling, etc.) solar becomes more and more feasible for more people. This trend is likely to continue, but no one is sure if we’ll see the same level of drastic cost decreases in the coming years.

Surprising solar statistic #2: This likely has something to do with number one above – global solar power growth hits a whopping 50% increase year-over-year, due in large part to a glut of new solar installations in the United States and China. New solar capacity last year alone came in at more than 76 gigawatts across the world, a figure that even industry analysts say is impressively high. This brings the global solar power production capacity to 305 gigawatts, a sizable increase from 50 gigawatts just seven years ago in 2010.

Surprising solar statistic #3: The country leading the charge with the highest amount of installed solar capacity is now China, according to solar industry website Clean Technica. This shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, as China has the highest output potential for producing solar power hardware. They also have a clean energy directive that is pushing them to bigger and bigger numbers as we make our way in 2018.

As you can see, there’s no shortage of amazing landmarks being experienced by the solar power industry. Urban Solar embraces this growth and provides a way for consumers like you to become educated on solar power, taking the steps needed to integrate it into your day-to-day life. Contact us today to learn about our completely free energy assessment, a first step in determining the best solar system for your unique needs.