While the growth and advancements last year in the field of solar energy as a renewable source of energy were vast, we look forward to 2018 with a renewed hope for even more homeowners and business owners to “go solar!” 2017 saw the global demand for solar energy surge so much that it reached the level of more than 2 times the number of installations in 2014.
The main idea to take home at the onset of 2018 is that “clean energy” is also “cheap energy” now. And this idea is what will drive businesses, homeowners, policymakers, and consumers towards adopting solar energy systems at an accelerated pace.
What’s Next in Solar Energy?
Some of the trends you can expect to witness this year:
- A continuing drop in the prices of wind and solar energy – Renewable energy is now responsible for steering electricity markets throughout various parts of the world. The exceptional reduction in the solar prices is expected to go on as is, if not speed up. In 2017, this led to the renewable energy industry gaining market share in India, Mexico, China, and the U.S. If setbacks in the form of politics and financials hit the industry now, it will bounce back from them as renewable is now the way to go!
- The U.S. President, Donald Trump might introduce a tariff on the import of solar PVC panels or modules, a decision expected by January 26, 2018. According to Abigail Ross Hopper, the CEO of Solar Energy Industries Association, we will witness what happens as a consequence of this policy uncertainty. Solar companies, with this view in mind, might strive to bring in whatever business they can before the tariffs are declared, if at all they are!
- The Global sum of new Solar projects that included Commercial Solar Systems Installation and Residential Solar Panel Installation has been perceived to be much higher in 2017 than in 2016, and the trend is bound to continue in 2018.
- Non-residential expansion through community solar programs, where consumers neutralize a part of their electricity spending by undertaking a solar project that is managed by a third party, is expected to grow 50%, owing to gains in Minnesota, Colorado, and Massachusetts. So 2018 will see growth on the same lines.
- Innovation will be at the forefront of the growth in solar power with everything from solar-powered street lights to solar windows for offices and cars. Advancements like solar-powered charging stations, refrigerators, water generators and trains are nearing their commercialization and the might become the-next-big-thing in 2018.
- Companies that will be able to market and develop creative installation approaches that minimize or maintain residential and commercial prices, like online ordering and service, will thrive in both the residential solar and the commercial solar markets.
A leading Solar Energy Company, Minnesota
Through our services at Cedar Creek Energy, we can offer you the most reliable and beneficial solar energy installation for your home or business, and also provide the alternative of customizing our services to fit your energy needs within your budget.
Please contact us to find out more about how you can tap into the energy savings found with solar energy.