Texas ranks as the ninth-leading state in America for solar energy, according to a report by GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association.
California was the king of solar with 1,033 megawatts (MW) of power coming online in 2012. Arizona followed behind with 710 MW. New Jersey took No. 3 with 415, followed by Nevada (198), North Carolina (132), Massachusetts (129), Hawaii (109), Maryland (74), Texas (64) and New York (60) rounded out the top 10.
The report — U.S. Solar Market Insight: Year-in-Review 2012 — shows that the U.S. installed 3,313 megawatts of solar photovoltaics in 2012 — a new record for the industry.
In addition, the market size for the U.S. solar industry grew 34 percent from $8.6 billion in 2011 to $11.5 billion in 2012. At the end of last year, there were a total of 7,221 megawatts of photovoltaic panels and another 546 megawatts of concentrating solar power online in the U.S. This is enough to power 1.2 million homes.
James Aldridge, Austin Business Journal.
