Solar energy continues to grow in popularity throughout the United States, both in application and in public opinion. With clean energy becoming more important than ever before, it is likely we will be seeing more solar energy systems being installed throughout the nation in the future.
Record-Breaking Numbers
The past few years have been promising for solar energy, with the United States’ output of solar power putting forth impressive figures. As of mid-2017, the U.S. had a total solar capacity of 47.1 gigawatts, enough to power 9.1 million homes. Since then, the United States has reached a capacity of 58 gigawatts, creating the ability to power 11 million American homes.
Solar power has been a huge success outside of the United States as well. Worldwide, new electricity generation has primarily been through solar power, with other green sources of energy falling shortly behind. This suggests a global shift towards environmentally-friendly sources of energy, a crucial shift given the status of the global climate today.
Reasons For The Shift
As global energy production has shifted gradually towards solar power, public opinion has as well. While many homeowners cite a wide variety of reasonings for preferring solar power, some of the most common responses reference the reduced impact on the environment. Other reasons American homeowners tend to be opting for solar power over other forms of electricity generation include increased home resale value with solar panels, lower overall energy bills, and reduced system maintenance when switching to solar power.
Additionally, many governments worldwide have now been offering homeowners incentives to switch to renewable energy sources, with solar power being the most popular choice for this switch. Governments across the globe have been feeling the pressure to reduce the carbon footprint of their nations, and one of the primary methods of doing that has been to get citizens to switch to renewable energy sources.
While it remains to be seen if this trend will continue into the future, the numbers don’t lie; solar power is here to stay, and it is likely to grow and expand further into the overall energy and power market.
