Solar energy collection is expanding rapidly across the world and especially on North American rooftops. Installations are increasing in the United States by about 40 percent per year as costs plummet, innovation increases, and new business models such as leasing roofs to generate power expand in scale. It is projected that solar energy will cost the same as other electricity sources before the end of this decade. This growth has transformed solar into one of the fastest-growing industries in the United States, adding good-paying jobs even during the economic downturn.Solar power in cities is likely to continue expanding for other reasons as well. Recent research in California found that houses with solar panels facing the street are worth more on the housing market.1 And once photovoltaic (PV) panels are installed on one house, the chances are good that more houses in that neighborhood will install solar2 - keeping up with the Joneses' with solar collection, too.
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