The factors driving commerical solar adoption fall into 5 key areas:
Economic:
- Volatile global energy prices and rising global energy demand
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Incentives; feed-in tariffs, net metering, rebate programs geared towards making solar more financially viable
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Solar approaches the cost convergence zone; large scale utility projects moving closer to economic viability (without rebates)
Political:
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Geo-political climate: Kyoto Protocol, emission goals, cap-and-trade policies and green house gas initiatives driving global adoption trends
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U.S. Federal Government activity; Key incentive programs serve as short/medium term stimulus
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Individual State initiatives such as the California Solar Initiative
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2008 Presidential Politics
Technological:
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New, more cost effective and efficient solar module manufacturing technologies are emerging that make solar more economically viable
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There is also significant investment in alternatives to silicon
Social:
Environmental:
