Talking Solar
Evergreen Public Affairs Toolkit for the Solar and Storage Industry
As the solar industry grows, the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) is helping our members tell our story. Right now, solar and storage businesses across the country are creating jobs, lowering energy costs, and ushering in an abundant, affordable clean energy future. This toolkit will help you create dynamic public affairs content that will engage your audience on social media and beyond.
Key Facts and Figures
Industry Overview
- Solar energy is the fastest-growing power source in America today
- The U.S. solar industry added 9.4 gigawatts (GW) of new electric generating capacity in Q2 of 2024
- Solar module manufacturing capacity has grown nearly 4x since the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act
- Solar accounted for nearly 67% of all new generating capacity added in the first half of the year.
- Solar has been the leading source of new electricity capacity additions for 3 consecutive years, and is poised to do so again in 2024
- The United States is home to about 210 GW of installed solar capacity
- Today there are over 5 million solar installations nationwide
- The solar industry currently employs 263,883 American workers
- The U.S. solar market generated $60.1 billion of economic investment in 2023
- There are over 10,000 solar businesses in the U.S.
- America’s current solar capacity offsets 224 million metric tons of carbon emissions annually, which is equivalent to taking 53 million vehicles off the road, saving 25 billion gallons of gas, and planting 3.7 billion trees
- Texas was the top-ranked solar market in the first half of 2024
- 15% of U.S. homes are projected to have a solar PV system by 2030
- In 2023, a new solar project was installed every 39 seconds
- Total U.S. solar capacity is expected to double over the next six years, growing to 450 GW by 2030
- Over the next decade, industry employment will more than double, from 263,000 workers in 2022 to nearly half a million workers by 2033
Market Segments
- Every solar market segment set an annual deployment record in 2023.
- In 2023, over 800,000 homeowners installed solar, and solar + storage accounted for 13% of residential installations
- The utility-scale segment had a remarkable Q1 2024, putting 7.6 GW of projects in the ground — more than the annual total for this segment as recently as 2019.
- The residential solar segment installed 1.1 GW in Q2 2024
- The commercial solar segment installed 427 MW in Q2 2024
- The community solar segment installed 270 MW in Q2 2024
