SUN TO SHINE IN 2011

Enfinity: New Study Predicts Record Growth in U.S. Solar PV Market for 2011; Report IDs Availability of Resources, Demand and Land as the Three Factors Likely to Shape Solar PV Market
February 23, 2011 (World of Renewables)

"Despite constituting less than six percent of worldwide installations in 2010, the United States is well positioned to become the focus of the global photovoltaic (PV) industry in the coming year, according to…[The U.S. PV Market in 2011] by international solar power developer Enfinity…in partnership with GTM Research…[It] analyzes the key market drivers in the U.S. solar PV industry and predicts that 2011 will be a vital growth year for the country’s solar market…

"Enfinity’s white paper identifies three factors that provide the United States with enormous, long-term potential for sustainable PV market growth…"

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"The United States is home to an excellent photovoltaic resource…[T]he Southwest provides the highest insolation, or exposure to the sun’s rays…[N]ortheastern states offer insolation that is, at a minimum, equal to or greater than the resources of Germany.

"There is ample availability of land for PV development…[W]estern states, in particular, have large tracts of open land that could support large PV installations."

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"Electricity demand in the United States is the highest in the world…[Consumption] is roughly 7.2 times the total in Germany and nearly 15 times as much as Spain…

"…In 2010, U.S. PV installations more than doubled to an estimated 820 MW, up from 435 MW in 2009. While other markets such as Spain, Germany and the Czech Republic have faced drastic shifts, the United States has seen steady, if incremental, year-over-year growth…"