Solar

California and New Jersey – two states with well-structured organized markets for electiricity – are leading the nation in solar capacity, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association’s (SEIA) Year in Review report released last week. 
 
The solar market grew from $3.6 billion in 2009 to $6.0 billion in 2010, with installations totaling 956 megawatts (MW), achieving a capacity of 2.6 gigawatts. According to SEIA, this represents only the beginning of such growth. In 2011, the organization expects U.S. solar installations to double from 2010 levels.
 

New Jersey’s electricity market has experienced a recent influx of competitive power suppliers, benefiting both consumers and the environment. The state’s market has seen exponential growth in recent months – and consumers are jumping at the opportunity to competitively shop for their electricity supply.
 

The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) Year in Review 2009 report detailed how despite the economic downturn installed solar power capacity climbed past 2,000 megawatts (MW), enough to power a city of 350,000 homes. The top two states in 2009 and cumulative installed capacity were states with competitive power markets.
 

Average wholesale electricity prices in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) have once again dropped, providing even more benefits for consumers coping with the economic downturn, according to ERCOT’s 2009 State of the Market Report. Prices fell 56 percent from 2008’s average price to $34.03 per megawatt-hour (MWh), the lowest price experienced by any U.S. electricity market.