Solar World: A glowing report for 2006

[jpak]

http://www.upi.com/Energy/view.php?StoryID=20061102-044057-2116r

TEL AVIV, Israel, Nov. 2 (UPI) -- Solar energy had a banner year in 2006, according to a "Year in Review" report compiled by the Solar Energy Industries Association and the Prometheus Institute.

The report, unveiled at last month's Solar Power 2006 conference in San Jose, Calif., credited the industry-wide boom in the United States to rising conventional energy prices and to "the expansion of federal and state support for solar deployment."

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A graph showing the cumulative megawattage of (US) PV installations each year has jumped exponentially since the start of the decade. In 2000, about 40 megawatts of PV were installed; in 2001 that number rose to 50 megawatts. By 2003 the figure had reached 100 megawatts; in 2004 it was 150 megawatts, and 2005 saw the installation of over 200 megawatts of photovoltaic systems. The report projects that for 2006, the number will be close to 300 megawatts of capacity installed.

Other year-in-review reports on the industry have shared the rosy outlook. Michael Rogol's "Solar Annual 2006: The Gun has Gone Off" noted that lately the solar market has seen a 40 percent to 50 percent annual production expansion.

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(note: Germany installed 837 MW of PV in 2005 - the US has a lot of catching up to do - maybe this will change Nov. 8, 2006)