We are in the age of change and everyone can feel it. Solar is changing the very landscape of energy production as we speak. Despite that, we are still not seeing the changes fast enough. Having grown 95% in 2016 the solar energy market is growing at a rapid pace, but the majority of that growth is in the utility sector. Businesses and Utility companies are definitely on the same page, however, residential homeowners may not be as keen to adopting solar energy.

A slow-down in the residential solar market.

SEIA 2016 Solar Insights shows there was 10% decline from Q2 of 2016 and only 2% uptrend from Q3 2016. In certain states, the growth of solar is declining only offset by the growth of solar in new emerging states. The reasoning for this may be due to a maturing solar market. Solar market experts state that it is due to the depleting sales from early adopters. However, that does not explain the waning support for solar among those who did purchase a solar PV system. As a market segment matures, new pain points arise and previous marketing strategies need to evolve with the increasing demand for higher quality work, better returns, commercialized price and improved project workflow.

Solar and Electric Cars are perfect for each other.

Aside from simply improving the current company practices within the market segment of residential solar, these new improvements can be carried over to newer frontiers. People simply don't want a solar panel on their roof to reduce their electricity bills, they want the whole shebang - alternative energy lifestyle. No electricity bills, no energy dependence, and everything can be supplied directly from the sun. The perfect "gateway drug" for this is electric cars and solar energy in complete union.

During the Solar City and Tesla acquisition, executive director of the Energy Storage Association, explained Musk’s rationale:

“There’s a clear business case here: Musk says he can expand the market for solar panels by offering them to people who are already considering buying an electric car, and vice versa… In other words, Tesla wants to offer the whole fossil fuel-free frittata.”

With the falling cost of both solar energy photovoltaic installation and electric cars, this could set the stage for what could be seen as the knockout punch for the fossil fuel industry. According to eia.gov In 2015, gasoline accounted for about 60% of total transportation sector energy consumption, 47% of all petroleum consumption, and 17% of total U.S. energy consumption. If we want to keep the dream of a 100% renewable future alive, we need to be mindful of the things that we buy and also the things that we support during our daily discussions. Since the current political climate is leaning more towards fossil fuel revitalization, informing more and more people about the benefits and versatility of solar energy in our daily lives and future is key to driving significant actionable change.

For more information on solar and electric cars visit Inside Evs.