Solar energy broke records in 2015

March 21, 2016 | Matt Mills

Records broken in 2015 & more of the same expected in 2016

Last year was a record-breaking one for solar power generation in the U.S., and 2016 looks to have an even brighter future, the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) said in a recent report.

According to the SEIA’s U.S. Solar Market Insight Report 2015 Year in Review, a record 7.3 gigawatts (GW) of solar power was installed in the United States in 2015.

This brought the total installed solar capacity in the U.S. up to 27.4 GW, which is enough to power 5.4 million American homes.

REPORT: 2015 was a record year for U.S. #solar — and 2016 is going to smash it ☀️ https://t.co/xOuCcecXM5 @SEIA pic.twitter.com/MmtY5wwaTm
— Energy Department (@ENERGY) March 10, 2016

Growth of 119 percent expected in 2016

Even greater growth is expected in installed solar capacity this year, the SEIA noted. Experts estimate installation of an additional 16 GW in 2016, which would represent 119 percent year-over-year growth.

Utility-scale efforts lead the way

Utility-scale installations should make up roughly 74 percent of the installations in 2016, the SEIA said. But utility-scale solar installations aren’t the only type that should see increases this year — strong growth is also expected in both residential and commercial markets this year.