The US solar industry grew 43% and installed a record 19.2GW of capacity in 2020.

A new report by the Solar Energy Industries Association and Wood Mackenzie suggests new solar capacity additions last year broke the market’s previous record of 15.1GW of new capacity in 2016.

The data also shows the fourth quarter of 2020 became the largest quarter for new installations in US solar history, recording a total of 8GW of new solar.

The analysis suggests the total operating solar fleet in the US is on track to quadruple by 2030.

According to the report, California, Texas and Florida installed the most annual solar capacity last year.

SEIA President and Chief Executive Officer Abigail Ross Hopper said: “The forecast shows that by 2030, the equivalent of one in eight American homes will have solar, but we still have a long way to go if we want to reach our goals.”

Michelle Davis, Senior Analyst from Wood Mackenzie, commented: “Compelling economics for distributed and utility-scale solar along with decarbonisation commitments from numerous stakeholders will result in a landmark installation rate of over 50GW by the end of the decade.”