The amount of new photovoltaic solar panels installed in the United States grew to 3,313 megawatts in 2012, up from 1,887 megawatts in 2011, marking 76 percent growth and another record-breaking year for the American solar industry.
A year-in-review report jointly released Thursday by GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association found that more than half of the new installations, or 1,782 megawatts, came from the first wave of large, utility-scale solar power plants coming online in the desert Southwest.
Meanwhile, nearly 83,000 homes were fitted with solar panels, with many homeowners taking advantage of no-money-down solar leases and third-party financing. Residential solar projects totaled 488 megawatts.
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