In 2011, solar was the fastest growing source of new electricity
generated by utilities. That’s surprising, because unlike you,
utilities have a choice. It is not surprising that the solar
panel is the energy appliance of choice among consumers. Your
home is unsuitable for most power plants other than solar. A
nuke, coal or gas plant in the back yard? No thanks! Wind or
micro hydro? Only for a few. But last year, almost half of a
surge in solar growth was driven by utility-solar, either by
building their own solar generation capacity, or by contracting
for the power, either in a power purchase agreement (PPA) with a
solar developer or with a solar renewable energy credit (SREC)
supplier. Altogether, solar increased at an astonishing 120
percent over 2010 levels, with utilities interconnecting over
62,500 PV systems onto the grid, according to the Solar Electric
Power Association’s SEPA Top 10, a ranking of the utilities on
solar growth. Overall, of the more than 240 utilities and
electric co-operatives survey