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One of the biggest challenges for the renewable energy industry is that solar energy isn’t available at night, wind stops blowing periodically and other sources can also be intermittent. While lithium-ion battery installations are racing to keep up with demand, other technologies that provide better storage may soon supplant them. 

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Every component for solar energy installations can now be made in the US, and production is continuing to expand. Many parts still come from overseas, however, so anyone installing solar needs to evaluate the products carefully if they want a fully American-made system. 

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The common refrain in Washington is that it’s too dark and dreary for solar to make sense. However, Maine and Vermont show that solar can work in northern climates. And with electricity prices now rising, the payback period for many households can be far shorter than expected.

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Electrical Generation by Renewables Expanded by over 11% in the First Quarter of 2026

Over the coming year, U.S. EIA projects new utility-scale solar, wind and better storage capacity to gro more than 80.6 gigawatts as nuclear and fossil fuel capacity falls by 4.3 gigawatts.   

EIA and FERC analyses forsee strong renewables and battery growth through 2030 and beyond.

Plummeting Solar Panel Prices Hardly Reduce Costs – Solar is Still Worth It

The cost of solar panels has dropped more than 65 percent over the past 15 years, making them far more affordable. The total cost of installing solar panels has actually risen a little, though, due to higher costs of labor and other components. Still, installing solar is worth it. 

Cost of Solar and Breakeven

Even though the cost per watt of solar panels has indeed dropped about 65 percent over the past 15 years, according to the Department of Energy, installing solar is not inexpensive. Solar panels are less than a third of the total cost of installation. So even though solar hardware costs have fallen in recent years, soft costs such as labor and overhead represent a growing share of total solar system costs, the US Department of Energy noted.

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