Dive Brief:
- Solar developers installed 930 MW of photovoltaic capacity in the third quarter, the second-largest quarter for solar installations in U.S, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). The residential market posted the segment’s largest quarter in history with 186 MW installed.
- SEIA expects no sales growth from the non-residential sector, which has been hit by shrinking markets in some states.
- Blended average PV system prices fell 4.2% in in the quarter from the previous quarter, reaching a new low of $3.00/W.
- SEIA expects that the U.S. will install about 4,300 MW of PV in 2013, up 27% from 2012.
Dive Insight:
The overall PV market is on pace for strong growth and PV prices continue to fall.
The non-residential sector was flat, but SEIA expects it to rebound next year. “Downturns across a number of major state markets (most notably New Jersey and Hawaii) have essentially been offset by growth in other states such as Massachusetts, Arizona, and Tennessee,” SEIA said. “We anticipate a meaningful return to growth in 2014 as a number of state-level programs are likely to result in significantly increased installations, most notably in New York, as well as continued expansion in California and Massachusetts.”
