While global events have been a burden on many industries over the last few years, the solar energy industry has proved remarkably resilient. Around 191GW of new PV capacity was installed last year, which was up over 32% from 2020. Rapid technological advancements, increasing ambition of solar energy storage batteries, and incentives for residential solar panels have all boosted clean energy initiatives.
How is the solar energy industry growing this year? What key trends from last year are more developed? Below is a list of the top solar energy trends for this year.
Thin-Film Technologies
Dominating around 90% of the solar market, crystalline silicon PV panels are the most popular panels available to consumers. But U.S. trade restrictions on Chinese imports are impacting its accessibility, which is creating opportunities for the production of thin-film technologies.
There are three types of thin-film solar cells: amorphous silicon (a-Si), cadmium telluride (CdTe), and copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS). Thin-film solar cells aren’t as efficient as crystalline silicon PV panels, but they do require less materials, generate less waste, contain less toxic components, and are also easier to manufacture. As this technology continues to advance, it’s expected that thin-film solar cells will become even more efficient and may surpass silicon’s benefits in a few years.
Increased Incentives
There’s a global commitment to lessening the environmental impact of our current energy production methods. In an effort to cut down on carbon emissions, governments are establishing more incentives and subsidies on areas like solar power.
As the pressure to go ‘green’ continues to escalate, both residential and commercial consumers will begin taking advantage of these incentives and subsidies to lessen their environmental impact and join the global commitment towards a more renewable, sustainable future.
More Job Opportunities
Homeowners have the ability to purchase certain solar products and incorporate them into their homes with no expert knowledge, but solar energy panel installation is a different story. As the demand for solar energy panel installation continues to grow, the need for employees to fill certain positions to keep up with this demand will also grow.
At Vision Solar, for example, we’ve already expanded our operations from New Jersey to Pennsylvania, Florida, Arizona, and Massachusetts, with plans to open up new warehouses and distribution centers in Connecticut and Texas in the very near future as well. We’ve also brought 500 new jobs to New Jersey after opening up a second location. You can read more about that here, but it’s clear that the country has a need for professionals that isn’t going away anytime soon. And we’re excited to be part of that growth.
Artificial Intelligence & Big Data
AI algorithms and big data play an essential role across so many industries, and of course the solar energy market is one of them. The energy grid is an incredibly complex infrastructure and requires quick decision-making that must happen in real time. AI and big data make this possible, but they also allow for power consumption forecasting, predictive maintenance, model designing, and performance analysis.
This blog only scratches the surface of the top solar energy trends, but it’s clear that this is an exciting time for the solar energy industry — which means consumers have a lot to be excited about. If you’ve been considering taking your home into the future with solar panel installation, contact the Vision Solar team to learn more.
