Solar Roof Installations to Triple in Texas Over Next 5 Years

The Benefits of Solar Power

Here are a few of the many benefits of solar energy:

• Solar is a very versatile source of energy
• Going solar reduces your carbon emissions
• Going solar can protect against rising energy costs
• Solar reduces or even eliminates electric bills
• Solar panels will improve the value of your property
• Solar panels require very little maintenance
• Solar electricity can be sold back to the grid
• Solar power is inexhaustible and renews itself
• Solar energy doesn’t emit any toxic contaminants into the air
• Solar panels don’t contaminate water

We are used to thinking that it’s greenhouse gas emissions that fuel global warming, that the pollution from factories and cars are main contributors to that. Yet the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency claims that 25% of greenhouse gas emissions come from electricity generation. In fact, transportation and electricity generation are the two leading sources of greenhouse gas emissions.

In the United States, 20% of all electricity is generated by clean, renewable sources like solar and wind power, and 60% of it comes from fossil fuels that contribute to global warming when burned. A transition toward renewables and away from fossil fuels would cut 25% of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S.

Changes Happening in Solar Industry

President Biden signed a new climate bill, that is the largest bill of its kind in U.S. history into law, which is expected to cause American solar market to triple in the span of the next five years, according to the new report from the Solar Energy Industries Association and Wood Mackenzie. Their analysts say that Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act has provided the solar industry with the most long-term stability it’s ever had.

“Ten years of investment tax credits stands in stark contrast to the one-, two-, or five-year extensions that the industry has experienced in the last decade. It’s not an overstatement to say that the IRA will lead to a new era for the U.S. solar industry,” the analyst said.

According to the same report total solar panels or shingles installations across market segments will grow from 129 GW today to 336 GW in the next five years.

Only in the second quarter of 2022 there were 4.6 GW of new solar systems installed, which is up 12% from the first quarter of the same year.

“Across the solar industry, second quarter volumes would have been higher if not for supply chain constraints and the industry-wide slowdown from March through June, caused by the initiation of the anticircumvention investigation,” the Solar Energy Industries Association report said.

In the meantime, residential solar is only growing. There has been a record number of installments, with 1.36 GW worth of solar systems set up for about 180,000 new customers in the second quarter of 2022.

Meanwhile, grid outages are becoming more frequent in certain states. California has asked its residents to cut their usage of electricity as temperatures are at a record high, and it drives power demand to record levels. This in turn causes power prices to serge, prompting consumers to turn to solar power.

The studies analyzing the growing US industry forecast market for solar roofing products to increase to 716,000 squares, valued at $965 million in 2025. There are more and more solar-friendly policies in a growing number of states, that are expected to drive the market to grow, especially in California, where revisions to the state building code will mandate most new buildings to install solar panels or shingles starting in 2023.

Some factors supporting long-term growth for solar roofing products are:

• growing awareness of the benefits of solar roofing systems
• expansion of incentives by the government such as tax credits, net metering benefits, rebates
• the aesthetic appearance of solar shingles and other solar roofing options that resemble a regular roof
• the growing affordability and accessibility of solar roofing products nationwide

Rapid Growth Projected for South Due to Climate & Incentives

The South is projected to experience a surge of growth of solar product installments by 2025 and become the second leading regional market for solar roofing. This will be made possible by the more favorable sunny climate and the new incentives in certain states and localities.

Utility-Scale Solar Farms Are The Largest Market Segment in the US

In 2021, there were 17 GW of utility-scale solar capacity installed in the U.S., with 5.9 GW installed only in the last quarter. The U.S. solar farm pipeline reached 80.2 GW by the end of that year. With the current growth rate, the US could add another 123 GW of solar power by 2027, and 244 GW by 2032. With a 10-year ITC extension increases the growth forecast to 454 GW by 2032.

Even in Less Sunny States Climate Actions Plans Boost Solar Installations

Solar energy is projected to amount to 6% of total US electricity generation by 2030. Even though areas such as California, Arizona and Florida have abundant sunshine and are most reliable and cost-effective when it comes to solar-electric generation, Northeast and Midwest are also increasingly switching from fossil fuels to renewable supplement. Particularly where there’s a growing number of incentives offered to those who install solar products.

Solar roof installation will increase in both commercial and residential roofing markets the more property owners learn about the benefits of installing solar panels or shingles, that include higher property value, better energy efficiency, tax credits, rebates, and other incentives.

Regardless of whether you choose to add solar panels to your house or not, each year, more and more of the energy you use from the power company is coming from solar sources.

Growing Numbers of Solar Roof Installations

Community Solar program by Austin Energy has expanded their solar installations La Loma community solar farm in East Austin, at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, and the Palmer Array downtown. Combined, these solar panels produce 4.58 megawatts of renewable energy that feeds the local grid.

According to the Austin Business Journal, Chem-Energy Corp. in California is building multiple solar and battery facilities near Kyle. They will create 400 jobs and produce 1,000 megawatts of solar power in the next ten years.

The journal reports that the project will create the same number of jobs in Caldwell and Hays counties. It is a $1 billion investment, similar to Tesla’s $1.1 billion solar facilities near the Austin airport.

If you’re ready to become energy independent, lower your energy costs, and reduce your carbon footprint, solar products are more accessible than ever. Roof Fix is #1 rated solar installation company in San Antonio and South Texas. We are GAF Energy contractors that can offer Golden Pledge and no-limit lifetime warranties on all labor, roofing, and solar systems combined.

With 1 point of accountability, the best solar financing you can find, and instant solar rebates, there isn’t a better time to invest than now.