What is solar energy?

Solar energy is heat and radiant light from the sun that can be harnessed with technologies such as solar power (which is used to generate electricity) and solar thermal energy (which is used for applications such as water heating). The United States solar energy market is segmented by type.

What is the solar futures study?

View SETO's goals. Explore SETO's research in soft costs and systems integration. The Solar Futures Study is a U.S Department of Energy report that explores the role of solar energy in achieving the goals of a decarbonized grid by 2035 and a decarbonized energy system by 2050.

Is American manufacturing powering a boom in solar deployment?

American manufacturing is powering a boom in solar deployment, which has doubled since President Biden took office and reached record highs last year, with 32.4 gigawatts of solar capacity installed in 2023, a more than 50 percent increase over 2022 installations.

Why are solar panels becoming more popular in the United States?

Through the President’s Inflation Reduction Act, incentives for manufacturing and deployment of clean energy, including incentives for domestically-manufactured solar products, have driven a historic surge in solar installations and announcements of new U.S. solar module and component manufacturing.

How many people are employed in the solar industry?

The solar industry already employs around 230,000 people in the United States, and with the level of growth envisioned in the Solar Futures Study’s scenarios, it could employ 500,000–1.5 million people by 2035. Does the Solar Futures Study call for more utility-scale or distributed solar?

Which state has the most solar power?

Texas came in second with a capacity of about 15 gigatonnes. In 2021, both states in the United States added the most solar PV capacity. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), Utility-scale solar installations increased 66% from the first quarter of 2022.