Solar energy progress is measured in several ways. We hear a lot about how a particular solar plant will power x number of homes, but that does not really give us a good perspective on overall progress.
There are essentially 3 ways of measuring Solar progress: Installed Capacity, Electricity Generation, and Energy Consumed. I believe Energy Consumed is the most relevant because it takes into account all of our energy needs.
Let's look at the key Solar statistics as they stand today.
| Total U.S. Solar Energy Capacity[1] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T | PV | CSP | Total Solar | Total-All Sources |
| 2010 | 2,037 MW | 508 MW | 2,545 MW | 1,119,603 MW |
| 2011 | 3,959 MW | 508 MW | 4,467 MW | 1,134,997 MW |
| 2012 | 7,328 MW | 508 MW | 7,836 MW | 1,150,110 MW |
| 2013 | 12,140 MW | 918 MW | 13,058 MW | 1,152,303 MW |
| 2014 | 18,305 MW | 1,685 MW | 19,990 MW | 1,158,416 MW |
| Total U.S. Solar Electricity Generation[2] | ||
|---|---|---|
| T | Total Solar | Total-All Sources |
| 2010 | 4,325 GWh | 4,133,671 GWh |
| 2011 | 7,356 GWh | 4,112,099 GWh |
| 2012 | 12,668 GWh | 4,061,056 GWh |
| 2013 | 21,096 GWh | 4,082,706 GWh |
| 2014 | 32,553 GWh | 4,113,375 GWh |
| Total U.S. Energy Consumption (Figures in Quadrillion Btu)[3] |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T | Total U.S. Consumption | Solar Consumption | Solar as % of Total | YoY % Growth of Solar |
| 1990 | 84.485 | 0.059 | 0.07% | T |
| 1995 | 91.032 | 0.069 | 0.08% | 17% |
| 2000 | 98.819 | 0.066 | 0.07% | -4% |
| 2001 | 96.172 | 0.064 | 0.07% | -3% |
| 2002 | 97.647 | 0.063 | 0.07% | -2% |
| 2003 | 97.921 | 0.062 | 0.06% | -2% |
| 2004 | 100.094 | 0.063 | 0.06% | 2% |
| 2005 | 100.193 | 0.063 | 0.06% | 0% |
| 2006 | 99.492 | 0.068 | 0.07% | 8% |
| 2007 | 101.027 | 0.076 | 0.08% | 12% |
| 2008 | 98.906 | 0.089 | 0.09% | 17% |
| 2009 | 94.138 | 0.098 | 0.10% | 10% |
| 2010 | 97.480 | 0.126 | 0.13% | 29% |
| 2011 | 96.902 | 0.171 | 0.18% | 36% |
| 2012 | 94.487 | 0.227 | 0.24% | 33% |
| 2013 | 97.255 | 0.305 | 0.31% | 34% |
| 2014 | 98.460 | 0.427 | 0.43% | 40% |
Something definitely changed with Solar growth starting in 2010. We'll take a look in the next section.