The future is bright for solar power.

More and more people enjoy its benefits, and it is only getting more popular.

It took from the beginning of time until 2016 for the U.S. to cross beyond a million solar installations, and two years later, we are at nearly two million installations.

We are projected to cross that number in 2019, and by 2023 experts project more than five million installations. Here bring you the recent milestones in Solar Power and we will talk to you about HahaSmart's role in a 100% renewable energy future.

In 2017, Solar Accounted for 30 Percent of all Capacity Installed

This is the second year in a row that solar accounted for more than 30 percent of all electronic capacity installed. That means out of all the power plants built, nearly one third of them are solar. Because of that, solar power generates nearly two percent of all electricity in the U.S. right now. Solar has ranked first or second in new electric capacity installations five years in a row.

Solar’s competitiveness against other technologies in one reason for the explosive growth. In 2010 solar accounted for just 0.1 percent of all electricity generated, and today it accounts for nearly two percent in the U.S. In California, Nevada, Hawaii, and Vermont it makes up more than 10 percent of all electricity generation. California clocked in at at 15 percent, while Hawaii generated 11.8 percent using solar. Nevada created 10.8 percent of their power using solar, and in Vermont in 11.5 percent. Incidentally, Washington DC generated 77 percent of its total electricity from solar panels.
 

Falling Prices

The cost of solar products keep dropping, and the long-term outlook is that prices will continue to fall. The cost to install solar has dropped by more than 70 percent since 2010. That is like a $1,000 television going for $300. This reduction in cost is allowing the industry to expand into new markets and deploy thousands of systems nationwide. There is currently a slight uptick in prices because of tariffs on solar panels imported from China, but the market is expected to level out and drop again because of innovation.
 

Every State is Involved

While California dominates the solar market, other markets continue to expand, including Texas, South Carolina, and Minnesota. In 2017, installations in states outside the top 10 states constituted a whopping 28 percent of the total solar market. That is a record. As prices fall and efficiency gets better, this trend will continue and less popular states will start to grab more  share of the market. Translation, the solar industry is great in every state, and it is only getting better.

Solar as an Economic Engine

More than 250,000 Americans work in the solar industry, double the number of people working in the industry in 2012. There are more people working in the solar industry than in the oil, gas, or coal industry. Solar is the future and it is one of the economic forces driving this economy.
 

California Solar Milestone

With its sunny climate and environmentally-focused policies, California has long been a solar leader in the United States, but this last March the state broke a solar record. The California Independent System Operator, which manages the flow of electricity for 80 percent of the state, saw an all-time record for peak demand of electricity met by solar energy. Solar accounted for 49.95 percent of the total electricity generated on March 4, 2018 up from the previous peak of 47.2 percent set on May 14, 2017.

Utility operators credited the record to a few factors, First, it was a relatively cool day so there was no need for air conditioning to drive up energy use. Second, it was a Sunday, when energy use is typically lower. That day, the state collectively used 18,800 megawatts and solar generated 9,400 of those megawatts. Incidentally, the state generated 10,400 megawatts of solar power the next day (which was a 500 megawatt increase on the all time record) but it was during the week, so even though there was more solar power generated, it was a smaller chunk of the overall power used.

Solar is the Future

While oil powered the industrial revolution, the future is powered by renewable resources like solar. While other technologies have to be drilled, and refined, the sun is already here and it’s not going away any time soon. Solar just captures the available energy and delivers it directly to homes. It’s no wonder that solar is one of the fastest growing industries in the world.

HahaSmart's Role in 100% Renewable Future

The biggest obstacle in the push to 100 percent clean energy is the price of home solar panel systems. Prices are falling, but it will not fall quick enough to make the transition to 100% clean energy in time. As 20,000 scientists have warned us, time is not a luxury we can afford.

Many homeowners realistically cannot afford to spend thousands of dollars to get panels installed on their roof. The reason for the increased price is inefficient workflow when installing solar modules. There are a lot of unecessary soft costs and middleman fees that could be skipped both by the homeowner and the installer. HahaSmart founders have seen a chance to make things better and so we did.

Today we are saving homeowners up to 25% lower price than market value, by enabling homeowners to buy directly from manufacturers. We also have revolutionized the quoting, shipping and design process so that both homeowners and local solar installers can benefit from the savings and benefits of working with the HahaSmart platform.

We offer such low prices that when people use our Price Checker, many think it's too good to be true. HahaSmart gives you the lowest possible prices for the same quality solar products.

Aside from the many financial benefits of HahaSmart, we urge you to give us a try by registering to check the lowest prices in your area and telling more people about HahaSmart. Fostering a personal commitment to helping the cause is great, but finding a way to urge more people to do the same is the most effective way to see a sustainable energy future sooner.