Solar Power Leading the Way as Renewable Energy Now Constitutes 11% of Total Electric Generation in the U.S.

The solar power industry is leading the way in renewables, as the market has seen a 13.7% increase in year over year power generation. Renewable energy now constitutes 11% of total electric power generation in the United States according to a recent report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Solar power generation accounted for 51% of all new additions of electric generation in the U.S. for Q1, with wind power accounting for 19%.

In spite of tariffs put in place by President Trump in January 2018 against imported solar modules from China, “module prices have begun falling again due to renewed market certainty” and total solar system prices “are at their lowest levels in history”. Results from the 2018 National Solar Job Census “predict that solar jobs will increase 7 percent in 2019.” Additionally, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that “renewable energy technologies are expected to drive employment growth” over the next 10 years as the “two occupations with the highest projected growth rates [are] solar photovoltaic installers (63.3 percent) and wind turbine technicians (56.9 percent).”