The U.S. according to the latest SEIA - GTM report, has installed 3,313 MW of Solar PV installations in 2012, representing 76% annual growth over 2011. Also the U.S. market significantly outpaced the growth of the global market, and the U.S. market share of global installations rose above 10% for the first time in recent history.
Of the 3,313 MW installed in 2012, 1,300 MW (39.2%) came online in the fourth quarter, making the quarter by far the largest in the history of the U.S. solar market. Both the residential and utility markets experienced their largest quarter ever. In the case of the utility market, Q4 2012 was nearly double the size of the next largest quarter (Q2 2012). In total, the 1,300 MW installed in Q4 2012 represented 89% growth over Q3 2012 and 64% growth over Q4 2011.
California still dominated the US Solar Installations. Arizona came in second, thanks largely to the completion of a number of utility-scale projects in the state. New Jersey had an impressive 415 MW installed during the year, but that growth will undoubtedly slow in 2013, as the market is overbuilt relative to RPS schedule.
Both North Carolina and Massachusetts grew significantly in 2012, driven particularly by ground-mounted projects between 1 MW and 10 MW. Nevada took fourth place thanks largely to a number of utility-scale projects reaching completion. Overall, a few states (specifically Colorado and Pennsylvania) declined year-over-year when individual utility projects are removed from the equation.
US Solar Market by Segment:
Residential
- 144 MW installed in Q4 2012, representing 13% quarterly growth over Q3 2012
- 488 MW installed in 2012, representing 62% annual growth over 2011
Non-Residential
- 282 MW installed in Q4 2012, representing 13% quarterly growth over Q3 2012
- 1,043 MW installed in 2012, representing 26% annual growth over 2011
Utility
- 1,782 MW installed in 2012 from 152 projects, up 134% over 2011
- Project pipeline with PPAs in place stands at 10.5 GW, of which 3.1 GW are currently in construction
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