Key updates from this Quarterly Solar Industry Update presentation:
- The United States installed 4.0 gigawatts (GW) of solar energy in the first half (H1) of 2016, a 47% increase from H1 2015.
- While the top five states in H1 2016 are established markets, many new large markets are emerging, with 14 states installing more than 50 megawatts in H1 2016, including Utah, Georgia, and South Carolina.
- Emerging business practices are driving more solar deployment, such as community solar, corporate power purchase agreements, and Public Utility Regulatory Policy Act contracts.
- Analysts estimate that between 61 GW and 74 GW of photovoltaics (PV) will be installed globally in 2016 (53 GW were installed in 2015).
- In the second quarter (Q2) of 2016, residential installation costs for three of the leading firms in the United States ranged from $2.07 to $2.27 per watt.
- After several years of relatively flat pricing, modules and components have begun a period of rapid price declines.
- Analysts have reported a significant drop in module pricing since July 2016, with module quotes between $0.40 and $0.50 per watt in the second half of 2016 and still falling – some in the industry have seen quotes well below $0.40 per watt for 2017 delivery.