We’ve begun 2019 with the signs of climate change all around us - from a searing heatwave in Australia to the polar vortex recently unleashed across the Midwestern United States. As record-breaking events like these fail to convince some of our political figures that the threat of man-made climate change exists, many advocacy groups are pushing for sweeping governmental and regulatory action to confront it and mitigate future damages.

Solar-plus-storage, or the pairing of solar panels with batteries to store excess energy for future use, was a big topic in 2018. Many industry analysts predicted that the energy storage market in the United States would triple, and despite a few obstacles, it was a record-breaking year for new solar-plus-storage deployments. This trend is expected to continue in 2019 and beyond as energy storage becomes a vital component of consumer and utility solar installations.

As we enter the New Year, it’s important to look back over the struggles and successes of the previous year. And what a year it was for the solar industry! Despite a few major challenges, the U.S. solar sector stayed strong and made significant progress. Much of that forward motion is due to continually increasing public support for alternative energy technology and environmental stewardship.

The announcement of new 30% tariffs on imported solar panels in January, one of the early salvos in a trade war between the U.S. and China that has dominated headlines for the past year, put the solar industry on edge. Many solar professionals feared that our livelihoods, as well as the rapid momentum that solar power had gained over the past decade, would be jeopardized.

Building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) panels are the latest innovation to hit the solar market, increasing the design and installation options for residential and commercial solar consumers seeking to achieve their energy goals. Unlike “traditional” solar installations, in which panels are mounted on frames on top of or nearby the building they provide power to, building-integrated panels blend seamlessly with other construction materials as part of the structure itself. Whether you are building a new home or commercial facility or retrofitting an existing structure, BIPV offers several exciting design possibilities.

As the need for serious progress towards meeting renewable energy goals and sustainability practices becomes more and more urgent, the solar industry is responding by making it easier than ever before for consumers to adopt technology that mitigates our impact on our environment. Solar technology companies continue to grow and innovate their product offerings in order to provide consumers with more efficient, less expensive, and more aesthetically-pleasing options.