2014 Solar Energy Overview

STATEWIDE
As of 2013, AZ is second in the nation in solar electric capacity (CA is #1).
Arizonas installations account for 9% of the national growth in solar energy for 2013.

421 MW

$1.2B

330

solar PV electric
capacity added

invested in
solar in 2013

solar companies
in the state

9.5K residential
365 commercial
SRP solar users

Notable Solar Installations in Arizona:

Agua Caliente in Yuma County was completed in 2013 by developer First Solar.
This photovoltaic project has the capacity to generate 250 MW of electricity-- enough
to power over 31,800 Arizona homes.
At 280 MW, Solana in Gila Bend is among the largest solar installations in Arizona.
Completed in 2013 by Abengoa, this concentrating solar power project has enough
electric capacity to power more than 70,000 homes.
Arizona has amongst the largest solar energy resources of any state. Arizona's first
commercial solar photovoltaic (PV) array opened in 1997, and in 2012, the state
became home to the world's largest solar PV facility.

NATIONWIDE
The new photovoltaic capacity installed in 2013 was a 41% increase from 2012
and accounted for 29% of all new electricity generation capacity added in 2013.

4,751 MW

$13.7 billion

143K

solar workers in
U.S., 20% increase
2013
There is now a total of 12.1 GW of PV operating in the U.S. More solar has been
installed in the last 18 months than in the 30 years prior. The U.S. also installed 410
MW of concentrating solar (CSP) in 2013, increasing total CSP capacity in the U.S.
by more than 80%.
solar PV electric
capacity added

invested to install
solar in US in 2013

Experts forecast a 26% PV installation growth in 2014, with installations reaching

nearly 6 GW. The residential market for is expected to expand most rapidly.

WORLDWIDE
As of 2013, Asia was the top PV market in the world, representing 56% of
the market and surpassing Europe as the market leader.

38.4K MW
solar PV electric
capacity added

China 11.8K MW
Japan 6.9K MW
U.S. 4.8K MW

97 GW
global total solar PV
at the end of 2012

In total, nearly 138.9GW of PV has been installed globally. Although Europe

subsided to Asia in terms of percent growth in 2013, it remains the worlds
leading region in terms of cumulative installed capacity.

What is the difference between PV

and CSP?
Photovoltaic Systems (PV):
Producing electricity directly from
sunlight. This type of solar power is
expanding most rapidly. In 2012, PV
cumulative installed capacity reached
97GW worldwide. That number is
expected to triple by 2020.
Concentrated Solar Power (CSP):
Using mirrors or lenses to
concentrate a large area of sunlight,
or solar thermal energy, onto a small
area. In 2008, CSP installations
accounted for about 430 MW of
generated electricity worldwide.
Because of low operating costs, the
number of CSP plants is expected to
grow and 20GW of CSP electric
capacity is expected by 2020.
Why is the PV market expanding?
Increasing competitiveness:
The average price of a solar panel has
declined by 60% since the beginning
of 2011. The federal government has
granted short-term tax incentives to
jump-start investments in new
domestic plants as well as the
expansion of new facilities.
Changing Regional Trends:
Europes long-standing role as the
unquestioned leader in the PV market
has ended. While Europe accounted
for 74% of the worlds new PV
installations in 2011 and 55% the
year after, the region represented
only 29% of the worlds new PV
installations in 2013. Meanwhile,
Asia became the market leader with
56% in PV growth in 2013.
Nevertheless, various markets in
Europe still have strong and nearly
untapped potential for significant PV
growth in the coming years.