After what’s already a record-shattering year for the US solar industry, challenges lie ahead in 2017 and beyond. GTM Research recently outlined some of the challenges it and the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) are anticipating the industry will face.

Even though the solar industry showed unprecedented growth throughout 2015 and 2016 there are clouds on the horizon, even in the sunniest states. State regulators recently voted to slowly end net metering in Arizona. But clouds have silver linings—no matter how thin. Policy makers in Nevada initially ended net-metering entirely—overnight—they are now reconsidering their actions, already grandfathering existing customers back to their initial net metering agreements.

The US solar industry had a record-breaking 2015 with 7.3 gigawatts of power added to the grid, but expectations of 9.5 gigawatts for 2016 are even better. In fact, this year is expected to be the first time a single renewable energy source outpaced other utility-scale additions, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA). The agency expected that 26 gigawatts of energy will come online in 2016 with 93 percent of the energy capacity to come from solar (9.5 GWs), wind 6.8 (GWs) and natural gas (8.0 GWs).  

The Michigan House of Representatives passed state Senate legislation that would increase the state’s renewable portfolio standard (RPS) from 10 percent to 15 percent by 2021 and to at least 35 percent in 2025. The newly passed legislation includes voluntary “green pricing” program provisions which enables companies to buy additional renewable energy through utility providers.  

Renewable energy in Massachusetts had a banner year in 2016, growing to an $11.8 billion market. The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center’s (MassCEC) 2016 Massachusetts Clean Energy Industry Report showed that the renewable energy industry maintained a 6 percent growth rate, adding 6,317 clean energy jobs statewide between 2015 and 2016 and growing to 105,212 workers.  

The residential solar industry is growing at breakneck speed across the US and now the energy storage market is following it quickly. To capitalize on that opportunity Sunrun announced it is offering BrightBox batteries to supplement home and business solar systems in California, the nation’s largest solar market. 

SolarReserve didn’t win an environmental award for its concentrated solar power (CSP) technology, it won the Commercial Application of the Year Award from the 2016 Platts Global Energy Awards. The technology allows the solar-powered plant to operate throughout the night and cloudy days with heat generated by the sun. It was successfully implemented at the 110 megawatt Crescent Dunes Energy Project in Nevada where it’s producing electricity at lower costs than fossil-fuel generators.

Companies aren’t just racing to bring cargo to the skies, at least one solar-powered startup, Solar Ship, is ready to take on traditionally powered industry stalwart, Lockheed Martin in a 21st century battle of the airships! In an effort to demonstrate how airships can safely and sustainably move cargo to and from remote areas, Solar Ship has proposed a global race that will pit its solar-powered Wolverine aircraft against Lockheed Martin’s P-791 hybrid airship. 

Plug-and-play solar panels can plug into conventional residential power outlets and could provide up to 57 gigawatts of renewable energy to the grid. That’s equivalent to the electricity needed to power both New York City and Detroit and could save customers an estimated $13 billion annually, finds a recent study published in Renewable Energy.

The Japanese space agency, JAXA, will test Ascent Solar’s lightweight, flexible solar cells on its upcoming Jovian Space Mission. The cells will power the unique satellite's operations while the solar sail will provide propulsion for the mission.