In California, Solar Energy on the Rise

Many of us remember the flurry of solar panels that were installed in the 1970s during the energy crisis. Then, in the 80s, the market for solar panels crashed and the installation rate per year fell (though it never stopped).

Now, for a number of reasons, the installation of solar panels is on the rise again; here's a story from Environment California about the boom in solar system installations since the lows of the late 1990s:

Since the last time heat waves threatened rolling blackouts around the state in 2001, California has installed 177 MW of solar photovoltaic power systems on nearly 20,000 homes, businesses, schools and government buildings (1). Given that solar power systems generate electricity at a time California needs it most—while the sun is out and air conditioners are on full-blast—this 5,900% increase in the amount of solar power installed in California over the past four years will make a real difference on a day like today.

Further, thanks to the California Solar Initiative adopted by the California Energy Commission this past January, California has set a goal of building 3,000 MW of solar power on a million roofs by 2016 (2). Meeting this goal would mean 6% of California’s summer-time peak load would be met with clean, reliable solar power helping give grid operators a healthy margin between energy supply and demand.

Let's hope these trends continue and that more alternative energy solutions are found. Nationwide, we're going to need the energy—and more.