In the first quarter, the United States added 2.5 GW of solar PV, an increase of 13% year-on-year

According to a report jointly released by GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), the United States added 2.
5 GW of new solar photovoltaic capacity in the first quarter of 2018, an increase of 13%
year-on-year.

GTM Research expects the U.
S.
solar PV market to be flat in 2018 compared to 2017, with 10.
8 GW
of new PV direct current (DC) added throughout the year.
Solar is then expected to grow more strongly in 2019 and accelerate in early 2020, in part due to California's recent implementation of a solar policy
in all new residential construction.
According to analysts, more than 14GW of PV capacity
will be installed annually in the United States by 2023.

Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of SEIA, said: "These figures show that solar has become a popular choice in much of the United States, and even after tariffs are taken into account, it will continue to gain momentum
in the long term.
In addition, states from California to Florida have stepped up smart policies that will drive investment
in the coming years.
”

Utility scale

In the first quarter, utility-scale PV capacity accounted for 57% of total installed capacity, of which 1.
4 GW projects came online
.
According to the latest U.
S.
Solar Market Insights Report, utility-scale solar projects in 2018 had little impact on tariffs, and this year's forecast for utility-scale solar is expected to increase to 6.
6 GW
from 6.
47 GW expected in March.
However, tariffs are expected to have a greater impact
on the sector in 2019 as multiple developers have announced project cancellations and more companies are negotiating to rewrite power purchase agreements (PPAs).
GTM's forecast for 2019 has fallen to 7 GW, compared to 8.
1 GW
for both 2020 and 2021.

Residential photovoltaics

The residential PV industry installed 562 MW in the quarter, essentially unchanged
from the first quarter of last year and the fourth quarter of 2017.
Austin Perea, senior analyst at GTM, said this is a sign that customer acquisition challenges and pullbacks for national installers are waning, but these issues are not fully resolved
.
Three of the top five residential solar markets in 2017 are expected to decline for the second consecutive year in 2018, including Maryland, New Jersey and New York
.
Still, GTM expects growth to be flat in 2018 as declines in some major state markets are offset
by growth in emerging markets such as Florida.

Non-residential photovoltaic

After setting a record in the last three months of 2017, the non-residential sector installed 509 MW in the first quarter of 2018, up 23% year-over-year but down 34%
sequentially.
Demand in this segment continues to be driven by upcoming policy deadlines for community solar in California and the Northeast, with Minnesota alone adding more than 100 megawatts of community solar
in the quarter, the report notes.

In the first three months of 2018, solar PV accounted for 55%
of all electricity production capacity in the United States during this period.