ASU experts say solar installations could dwindle in upcoming year

In a KTAR.com article, Vivian Padilla from Cronkite News Source reports that residential solar installations could decrease in the upcoming future due to increased prices and fewer incentives.

In 2012, Arizona was the second-largest state with the most residential and commercial solar growth, right behind California, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association. Stephen Goodnick, professor of electrical engineering at ASU's Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering and a sustainability scientist at ASU's Global Institute of Sustainability, says consumers benefitted from an overly supplied market, but the falling out of Suntech Power, a Chinese firm, shows the increased competition among solar suppliers.

"I wasn't surprised in general that a number of companies were having financial difficulties because of so many competitors in the same market," Goodnick says in the article. "There are several Chinese companies that are in a similar situation to Suntech."

Harvey Bryan, a sustainability scientist at ASU's Global Institute of Sustainability, says more supplies are good for consumers, but "neutral for installers and probably a bad year for producers of panels."

If people are expecting to add solar panels to their home or business, timing is crucial.