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Solar Energy in the United States: Development, Challenges and Future Prospects

Author

Listed:
  • Sanzana Tabassum

    (Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Islamic University of Technology, Gazipur 1704, Bangladesh)

  • Tanvin Rahman

    (Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Khulna University of Engineering and Technology, Khulna 9203, Bangladesh)

  • Ashraf Ul Islam

    (Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Khulna University of Engineering and Technology, Khulna 9203, Bangladesh)

  • Sumayya Rahman

    (Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Khulna University of Engineering and Technology, Khulna 9203, Bangladesh)

  • Debopriya Roy Dipta

    (Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Khulna University of Engineering and Technology, Khulna 9203, Bangladesh)

  • Shidhartho Roy

    (Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Khulna University of Engineering and Technology, Khulna 9203, Bangladesh)

  • Naeem Mohammad

    (Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Khulna University of Engineering and Technology, Khulna 9203, Bangladesh)

  • Nafiu Nawar

    (Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Khulna University of Engineering and Technology, Khulna 9203, Bangladesh)

  • Eklas Hossain

    (Department of Electrical Engineering & Renewable Energy, Oregon Tech, Klamath Falls, OR 97601, USA)

Abstract

The ambitious target of net-zero emission by 2050 has been aggressively driving the renewable energy sector in many countries. Leading the race of renewable energy sources is solar energy, the fastest growing energy source at present. The solar industry has witnessed more growth in the last decade than it has in the past 40 years, owing to its technological advancements, plummeting costs, and lucrative incentives. The United States is one of the largest producers of solar power in the world and has been a pioneer in solar adoption, with major projects across different technologies, mainly photovoltaic, concentrated solar power, and solar heating and cooling, but is expanding towards floating PV, solar combined with storage, and hybrid power plants. Although the United States has tremendous potential for exploiting solar resources, there is a scarcity of research that details the U.S. solar energy scenario. This paper provides a comprehensive review of solar energy in the U.S., highlighting the drivers of the solar industry in terms of technology, financial incentives, and strategies to overcome challenges. It also discusses the prospects of the future solar market based on extensive background research and the latest statistics. In addition, the paper categorizes the U.S. states into five tiers based on their solar prospects calculated using analytical hierarchy process and regression analysis. The price of solar technologies in the U.S. is also predicted up to 2031 using Wright’s law, which projected a 77% reduction in the next decade.

Suggested Citation

  • Sanzana Tabassum & Tanvin Rahman & Ashraf Ul Islam & Sumayya Rahman & Debopriya Roy Dipta & Shidhartho Roy & Naeem Mohammad & Nafiu Nawar & Eklas Hossain, 2021. "Solar Energy in the United States: Development, Challenges and Future Prospects," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-65, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:14:y:2021:i:23:p:8142-:d:695303
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Sergii Mamykin & Roni Z. Shneck & Bohdan Dzundza & Feng Gao & Zinovi Dashevsky, 2023. "A Novel Solar System of Electricity and Heat," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(7), pages 1-11, March.
    3. Fan, Zhi-Ping & Cai, Siqin & Guo, Dongliang & Xu, Bo, 2022. "Facing the uncertainty of renewable energy production: Production decisions of a power plant with different risk attitudes," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 199(C), pages 1237-1247.
    4. José M. Cardemil & Ignacio Calderón-Vásquez & Alan Pino & Allan Starke & Ian Wolde & Carlos Felbol & Leonardo F. L. Lemos & Vinicius Bonini & Ignacio Arias & Javier Iñigo-Labairu & Jürgen Dersch & Rod, 2022. "Assessing the Uncertainties of Simulation Approaches for Solar Thermal Systems Coupled to Industrial Processes," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-29, May.

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