The milestone of 5 million PV installations comes 8 years after the US welcomed its 1 millionth PV installation; A milestone that took 40 years after the installation of solar panels attached to the first phase in 1973.

7 percent
More than half of all US solar panel installations have come online since the start of 2020, according to data from SEIA and Wood Mackenzie. In addition, the 25 percent rate was established following President Biden’s Anti-Inflation Act, which took effect 20 months ago.

SEIA Director Abigail Ross Hopper said: “Currently, 7 percent of American homes have solar panels, and this number will grow to more than 15 percent by 2030. Solar energy is quickly becoming a major source of electricity.”

15 million pieces
Despite changes in state policy, market trends continue to point to significant growth across the country, according to SEIA. The trade association predicts that the number of solar panel installations in the U.S. will double to 10 million in 2030 and 15 million in 2034.

According to SEIA and Wood Mackenzie, the residential PV sector accounts for 97 percent of all solar panel installations in the United States. The industry has set installation records for 5 consecutive years and 10 years in the last 12 years. Today, more than 100,000 solar panel systems have been installed in 11 US states and territories.

California
California leads the way with 2 million solar panel installations, but recent policy decisions in the state have affected the sunny state’s rooftop solar market. However, many states are witnessing rapid growth. One example is Illinois, which had only 2,500 PV installations in 2017 but now has more than 87,000 solar panel systems. Florida is another market experiencing significant growth, from 22,000 installations in 2017 to 235,000 installations today.

By 2030, 22 states or territories are expected to exceed 100,000 solar installations. There is currently enough solar installed in the United States to power 32.5 million homes. By 2034, installed PV capacity is expected to grow to 673 GW, enough to power more than 100 million homes.

Batteries
Home batteries account for 13 percent of solar panel installations. The amount of energy storage being added to new PV systems has tripled since 2018.

By 2028, 26 percent of consumer solar panel installations will have batteries, according to SEIA and Wood Mackenzie.