California has set a new record for the most solar PV capacity added by any state during one quarter. Further, over the past year California has added 1.6 gigawatts of solar capacity and is expected to add the same amount just in the second half of this year!
Overall, solar PV (solar panel) capacity in the U.S. has risen 24% in the second quarter of 2013, compared to the first quarter. A substantial 976 megawatts (MW), or 0.98 gigawatts (GW) of solar PV capacity has been added, according to a report my Solarbuzz, pointed to by Cleantechnica.
Five renewable energy powerhouse states dominated this solar development, contributing 75% of the new capacity between them. In fact, sunny California accounted for a full 53% of the new solar capacity in the second quarter, with North Carolina a distant second with 8%; New Jersey, Arizona, and Texas rounded out the top 5.
All this goes to show that solar power is not only alive and well in the U.S. but growing very strongly. As we pointed out earlier this week, this is also having a positive impact on the creation of new jobs, with nearly 40,000 green jobs created in the U.S. just in the second quarter.
In addition, we have recently seen the first 2 towns in the U.S. mandate the installation of solar panels on all new buildings. If that starts to spread across the country, is will have quite a big impact on the creation of new solar power capacity.
Image CC licensed by Walmart: Installing solar panels.
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