U.S. solar market grows 13% year-over-year despite tariffs

Showing resiliency in spite of the new tariffs on imported modules, the U.S. solar market added 2.5 GW of solar PV in the first quarter of the year, representing annual growth of 13%, according to the latest U.S. Solar Market Insight Report from GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). Solar PV accounted for 55% of all U.S. electricity capacity added during the quarter and added more than 2 GW for the 10th straight quarter, the study said. Overall, the report estimates that solar’s growth in 2018 will mirror 2017’s 10.6 GW before growing more robustly in 2019 and then accelerating in the early 2020s.