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One million solar installations

Sometime in the final days of February 2016, an incredible feat was achieved in the American solar energy industry. Without a single flicker of light, we hit one million solar installations! For some perspective, that’s enough systems to power all of the homes in Pennsylvania!

The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) decided that this accomplishment was deserving of some recognition and launched the #MillionSolarStrong campaign on May 3rd. The campaign aims to raise awareness of how common solar energy is in America, as well as the important role it plays in making the nation’s renewable energy revolution a reality.

Solar is here to stay. One million solar installations is an impressive milestone, and the industry will only continue to grow. As technology improves and costs decline, solar PV installations are increasing exponentially.

It took 62 years – from 1954 to 2016 – to install one million systems. However, SEIA predicts that by 2018, there will be two million installations.

Not only has going solar cut or eliminated the electric bills of thousands of Americans, but the industry has also created thousands of new jobs. In 2006, there were 17,000 jobs in the industry. By 2015, there were 209,000 jobs!

There are also more abstract, yet equally important, effects of the booming solar industry on the planet. One million solar PV installations offsets approximately 34 million metric tons of carbon dioxide each year, or the equivalent of emissions from nine coal power plants. Fewer emissions means a healthier planet, but also cleaner air to breathe, improved health, and lower health care costs.

By moving away from fossil fuels and switching to renewable energy sources such as solar, not only America, but the entire world becomes a better home for all of its creatures.One million solar installations is impressive, but we still have work to do.

Visit SEIA.org to get more facts about the #MillionSolarStrong milestone.

submitted by Sarah Bergen, Blogger/Publicist, Exact Solar

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