One of the best ways to find out the upcoming solar trends and trajectories is to ask a wide array of people across the industry. SolarReviews recently conducted a survey of almost 450 participants to do just that. Their full 13 page report is filled with helpful information, but we’ve attempted to distill some of the most helpful information below.
More growth ahead
Nearly all solar installers surveyed are continuing to see increased growth. Sixty-three percent of residential installers reported increased demand in 2022 and 73 percent expect to sell even more solar in 2023. Most respondents believed that increases in electricity prices and increases in domestic manufacturing are helping drive this demand.
Incentives will further fuel more adoption
The passage of the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022 cemented the 30 percent tax credit for homeowners and business owners wanting to get started with solar. This will help fuel additional demand in the years ahead. This overall optimism means 62 percent of respondents of the survey across the solar industry expect to expand their business in 2023.
Storage and chargers
More installers are offering energy storage and EV charger installation as the demand grows. As we continue to see more frequent and news-worthy grid outages, increases in utility costs, restrictions on net metering, and the wider availability of electric vehicles, we expect to continue to see increased demand for these items. Eighty-one percent of installers now provide energy storage installation, while 67 percent offer EV charger installation.
Ongoing challenges
While 40 percent of respondents said supply chain issues were worse in 2022 than in the previous year, these issues will continue to fade as we distance ourselves from the initial supply chain problems at the start of the pandemic and as installers continue to purchase more U.S.-sourced products (in fact, a total of 34 percent of solar installations in 2022 used products manufactured in the United States).
Into the future
This is only the first year of this important report, so this 2022 survey will serve as a great benchmark for the upcoming years of growth in solar.
