Solar Installed Capacity Up 17% in 2008-Report

An annual report released by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) shows that in 2008 the total U.S. installed solar power increased 17% to 8,775 megawatts (MW).
The report indicates that the solar industry has achieved a record growth for the third year in a row. In 2008, 1,265 MW of solar power was installed.

This includes 342 MW of solar photovoltaic (PV), 139 MWTh (thermal equivalent) of solar water heating, 762 MWTh of pool heating and an estimated 21 MW of solar space heating and cooling.

The report also states that no new concestrating solar power (CSP) plants had been built in 2008. But plans to build 6 gigawatts (GW) of CSP plants are in the pipline. California’s Mojave Desert, Arizona and Florida are some places where these plants are supposed to be constructed.

States that led in grid-tied PV installation were California (178.6 MW), New Jersey (22.5 MW), Colorado (21.6 MW), Nevada (13.9) and Hawaii (11.3 MW).

For solar water heating systems, Hawaii led states, installing 37% of the total U.S. systems in 2008, followed by Florida (20%), California (7%), Colorado (5%) and Arizona (5%).

A total of 42 states and the District of Columbia now have net metering rules allowing owners of solar energy systems to sell excess electricity back to the grid. However, these rules differ from state to state and a unified national policy is necessary, SEIA said.

The U.S. solar industry in 2008 increased domestic PV manufacturing capacity by 65% to 685 MW of capacity.

Source: SustainableBussiness