US solar potential over 100 times current use

A new report put out by the Environment America Research and Policy Center states that “The United States has the potential to produce more than 100 times as much electricity from solar PV and concentrating solar power (CSP) installations as the nation consumes each year. Each of the 50 states has the potential to generate far more electricity from the sun than its residents consume.”

Additionally, “solar PV capacity increased at a rate of 77 percent per year from 2010 to 2013. If solar installations continue to increase at less than one-third of that annual rate of growth (22 percent) between 2013 and 2030, America would have enough solar energy to generate 10 percent of its electricity.”

With both of these facts in hand, it is becoming increasingly apparent that given the right amount of political and social support, the United States could legitimately meet all of its power needs by capturing a fraction of the solar radiance hitting its soils.

Read more: Environment America, Washington Post