The United States has now a 10 Gigawatts solar photovoltaic capacity. It is the fourth country to reach this threshold.

According to the North America PV Market Quarterly report published by NPD Solarbuzz, the United States are now the fourth country to reach the 10 gigawatts solar power capacity after Germany, China and Italy.

Since 2011, solar installations in the country encounter a strong development. This tremendous increase of solar is mainly due to several incentives from the government (local and federal) but also due to the price decrease of solar panels. In 2011, solar system's price was about $6/Watt, today for a residential installation it is about $4.25/Watt and $3.25/Watt for a utility-scale project.
Through times, our solar market is reaching a mature stage. Experts forecast a 17 gigawatts capacity by the end of 2014. However, photovoltaic capacity in the U.S is not homogenous. Somes region are more development in terms of solar energy than other. California, for example, concentrates about 40% of the photovoltaic capacity of the country whereas the Great Plains and the Great Lakes regions have yet to develop their solar capacity.

With a growth rate of 50% since 2007, solar is one of the most prosperous source of energy in the country and this blissful growth rate is not likely to be hit by a sudden drop. Solar innovations are still emerging and researchers, worldwide, are trying to make solar photovoltaic more efficient. Every kind of applications can have its solar system, from water heating solar systems to solar street lights to light up our cities. The U.S still has to take the step of integrating solar in buildings during the construction process through windows with solar cells incorporated for example. New technologies are yet to be discover and will make easier this kind of process.