A new industry report reveals the phenomenal growth of solar energy in 2010.  With lofty goals of powering  2 million homes annually and with the extension of federal tax credits, solar is growing at a meteoric rate.  With the increased demand, there is a need for qualified and trained solar professionals.  Do you want to be one of them?  Read on to learn more about the increased demand in 2010, the expectations for 2011, and consider getting the solar training you’ll need to enter this lucrative industry with the US Solar Institute…   

The U.S. solar power market grew a record 67% last year, making it the fastest-growing energy sector, the industry reports Thursday.

Its market share jumped from $3.6 billion in 2009 to $6 billion in 2010, helped by federal tax credits and declining technology costs, according to a report by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and GTM Research.

Enough solar power was installed last year to power about 200,000 homes, the report says, noting that more than 65,000 homes and businesses added solar water or pool heating systems. In particular, the photovoltaics or solar panel part of the market soared most, more than doubling from 2009.

President Obama has touted renewable energy sources, and Congress extended their federal tax credits, originally set to expire at the end of last year, through 2011.

“This remarkable growth puts the solar industry’s goal of powering 2 million homes annually by 2015 within reach,” Rhone Resch, SEIA president and CEO, said in announcing the findings. He added:

Achieving such amazing growth during the economic downturn shows that smart polices combined with American ingenuity adds up to a great return on investment for the public. The bottom line is that the solar energy industry is creating tens of thousands of new American jobs each year.

The solar market diversified last year as 16 states installed more than 10 megawatts of photovoltaics (PV) each last year, up from four states that did so in 2007. The top 10 states for PV installation in 2010 were: California; New Jersey; Nevada; Arizona; Colorado; Pennsylvania; New Mexico; Florida; North Carolina; Texas.

The report says the annual cost of these PV systems fell 8% in the residential market and 11% in the commercial one. Its other highlights include:

  • Solar electric installations in 2010 totaled 956 megawatts (MW) to reach a cumulative installed capacity of 2.6 gigawatts (GW), enough to power more than half a million households.
  • Grid-connected PV installations grew 102 percent in 2010 to reach 878 MW, up from 435 MW in 2009, bringing cumulative installed PV capacity in the U.S. to 2,086 MW.
  • Utility PV installations more than tripled in 2010 to reach 242 MW, up from 70 MW brought online in 2009.
  • U.S. manufacturing of PV components increased substantially year-over-year for wafers (97 percent growth), cells (81 percent growth), and modules (62 percent growth).
  • The 75-MW Martin Next Generation Solar Energy Center was completed in 2010; it is the largest U.S. CSP [concentrating solar power] plant to come online in nearly 20 years.

By Wendy Koch, USA Today

This article was originally posted here.