Although solar energy usage has grown dramatically in the US over the past decade, far more dramatic growth will be needed if the nation is to meet President Biden’s ambitious plan to decarbonize the US electricity system by 2035. Solar provided just 2.3% of US electricity production last year, according to the US Energy Information Administration. The Department of Energy says solar will need to supply 30–50% of total US power needs in a zero-carbon electricity system.
Solar installations of photovoltaics (PVs) in the US had a capacity of 19.2 GW of direct current (GWdc) last year, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association. That was a 43% increase from 2019 installations, and it brings the total installed US capacity to 97.2 GWdc. Capacity values reported in DC typically are 10–30% higher than those reported in AC capacity, according to the Energy Information Administration. That is because the output of...
