“2009 marked a year of transformation for the US solar market,” said Craig Stevens, president of Solarbuzz. “Changes in the roles of utility companies, new market entrants, lower cost PV modules from Asia
and new direct-to-market approaches became more prevalent. As a
result, solar companies doing business in the States will need to adapt
quickly to these challenges while also being responsive to frequent
adjustments in the fragmented incentive and regulatory environment.”

California accounted for 53% of US PV on-grid installations, and is expected to maintain its strong position in 2010. Despite a slowdown in demand from the corporate sector across the U.S., government,
residential and utility growth more than offset this effect. Price cuts
in residential installations provided the foundation for steady growth
across the country.

The large number of state policy initiatives has created a fragmented regulations and incentive environment. Regardless, states are doing their job of stimulating local markets. The dispersed funding
sources mean the U.S. market does not does not carry the same level of
risk compared to countries driven by a single national policy.
Nonetheless, Federal incentives are playing a much larger role in
stimulating demand over the next two years.

The systems division of SunPower was the leading company in terms of PV installed for the year. In California, Chevron Energy and SPG Solar performed strongly in 2009 and moved up to the #2 position. Among
residential installers in California, REC Solar, SolarCity and Real
Goods Solar led the field.

Within the next five years, Solarbuzz forecasts the market will grow to between 4.5-5.5 GW depending on the scenario. This is around ten times the size of the 2009 market, an average annual growth rate of 30%
per annum.

The key drivers of this outcome will be much more aggressive positioning in the utility segment based on the need to meet their Renewable Portfolio Standard obligations, the development of new state
markets together with the return of the corporate segment and steady
growth in residential demand stimulated by cuts in end-market pricing.