In the last 5 years, the capacity of solar systems in US companies has risen sharply.

Published on: August 22, 2019 / Updated on: August 22, 2020 – Author: Konrad Wolfenstein

Apple installed the most solar energy and thus pioneered the adoption of solar power in US companies by installing 393.3 megawatts of solar capacity, according to the annual report of The Solar Energy Industries Association .

As the graphic shows, Apple had only one-tenth of its current solar capacity five years ago. Of all the leading companies in the solar sector, four out of ten are technology companies. Amazon has also made impressive progress, growing from zero to almost 330 megawatts of energy in just five years. Late last week, Amazon also announced a new solar farm in Virginia that will begin generating electricity in 2020.

Falling installation costs have boosted the acceptance and scalability of solar as a practical energy source for businesses. As costs continue to decline, business adoption rates are expected to rise, perpetuating this correlation.

The SEIA report 2018 was the first to be able to include large off-site installations in addition to existing on-site installations.

Apple installed the most solar energy of any other company, leading the way for corporate solar adoption by putting 393.3 megawatts of solar capacity in place, according to The Solar Energy Industries Association annual report.

As the chart shows, just five years ago Apple had only a tenth of the solar capacity it now has. Out of all the corporate leaders in solar, four out of the ten are tech companies. Amazon has similarly made impressive strides, going from zero to nearly 330 megawatts of energy in just five years. At the end of last week, Amazon also announced a new solar farm in Virginia, which will start generating power in 2020.

Dropping installation costs have encouraged the adoption and the scalability of solar as a practical energy source for companies. As costs continue to drop, corporate adoption rates are expected to increase, continuing that correlative trend.

SEIA's 2018 report was able to capture large off-site installations for the first time in addition to the on-site installations in place.