Colorado’s solar power capacity shot up an impressive 70 percent in 2016, but the state still lost its top 10 ranking after solar capacity across the nation nearly doubled, according to the U.S. Solar Market Insight Report out Thursday. THE DENVER POST — The state’s capacity for generating electricity from the sun rose from 544 megawatts in 2015 to 926 megawatts last year, according to data from the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and GTM Research.
But some states added even more capacity. For example, Utah installed 1,200 megawatts of solar capacity last year and leapfrogged over Colorado to No. 6 in national ranking. Colorado, which ranked ninth for solar capacity installed in 2015, slipped to 11th last year, behind New York. “The reason we are dropping is because after early Colorado leadership in solar, other states are catching up and passing us through innovative policies,” said Rebecca Cantwell, executive director of the Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association. The group is pushing policies that will keep Colorado a leader in solar energy, she said. Of the solar capacity added nationally last year, residential installations totaled 2,583 megawatts, 1,586 megawatts came in non-residential projects including community solar gardens, and 10,593 megawatts came in utility-scale projects, said Justin Baca, vice president of research and markets at SEIA. Numerous residential and commercial systems are needed to equal one utility-scale project, which are more cost-efficient than the smaller installations. States that add utility-scale projects are quickly moving up the national rankings. Uncertainty about the fate of a 30-percent federal tax credit for solar installations pushed some utilities and developers to complete projects in 2016. Congress decided to slowly phase that credit out through 2023. It’s expected the U.S. will add about 10 percent less solar power capacity this year than last. But over the next five years, the nation should see its solar-power capacity triple, Baca said. Falling costs likely will boost growth. The cost of solar photo-voltaic systems fell a record 20 percent last year. Each drop in price strengthens the economic argument to add the alternative energy source.
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