ODO 4459 Miles

Ah, there they are. Those are 4 of the 9 solar panels that were installed at our house today. We have officially contributed 2 more kilowatts to California's photovoltaic (PV) capacity. Totally just a drop in the bucket but still proud. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), the installed PV capacity in the US in 2013 was 4,751 MW, 2,621 MW of which is in California. So, if we are on track in 2014 (more than likely we will greatly surpass it), our 9 panels will add 0.00004% to the US installed capacity or 0.00008% to the CA installed capacity.

As an aside, take a look at SEIA's plot of solar installations on a quarterly basis. Since 2010, there has been an interesting growth pattern of installations doubling in the fourth quarter, most of which in the non-residential sector. Seems curious - maybe spending a bonus, trying to reach a sales quota, last ditch effort for the tax credit? Sounds like the beginning of a journal article to me.