by Sarah Lozanova
Installed solar energy capacity in the U.S. is growing dramatically, with numerous record-shattering years in a row. There is now enough installed solar energy to power over 4.6 million U.S. homes and a new solar project is installed every two minutes. Meanwhile, the cost of solar has fallen significantly, helping to fuel this unprecedented growth.
Solar energy (r)evolution
Since 1998, the cost of residential and commercial solar photovoltaic (PV) systems has fallen every year by an average of 6 to 8 percent, according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Since 2006, the installed cost of solar energy has dropped more than 73%. Once a market dominated by environmental motives, many people are now installing solar PV to save money.