U.S. solar power will eclipse wind power in 2013,
U.S. solar power will eclipse wind power in 2013, according to Duke Energy
Feb 5, 2013
Gregory Wolf, president of Duke Energy Renewables, said the U.S. will add more solar power than wind power in 2013 for the first time, according to Bloomberg.
A lessening of the number of wind projects combined with a decrease in prices on solar panels will help spur the change, Wolf said. Although the U.S. may install three to four GW of wind turbines this year, he said solar projects will exceed that after solar panel prices fell more than 60 percent in the past two year.
Although a production tax credit was extended for a year on Jan. 1, uncertainty about whether the credit would be extended caused developers to finish many wind power projects by the end of 2012 without planning new ones. The credit extension, however, only requires that significant construction progress be made rather than the project be completed.
According to Bloomberg, the U.S. installed around 3.2 GW of solar power last year and may reach 3.9 GW this year.