Wonder

State of Solar Power Energy

Delivered January 17, 2020. Contributor: Joseph M.

Goals

To find information on the current state of the solar power energy industry and how the Linux Foundation has grown its media reputation.

Early Findings

Solar Power Energy IndustryAccording to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), solar energy in the United States is booming. 
SEIA estimates that in the last decade, the solar energy industry has experienced an average annual growth rate of 50%.
 Solar energy installations surged in 2006 ahead of the potential expiration of the Solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC). However, an extension in late 2015 created federal policy stability through 2021.
In 2019, the yearly installed solar capacity (MWdc) in the United States was a total of around 13,000 MWdc.
The installed solar capacity is divided into residential PV, non-residential PV, utility PV, and utility CSP. The highest number of installations in 2019 was in utility PV.  
More than 242,000 Americans work in the solar sector. This number is more than 50% to that of 2012.
In 2018, the United States solar industry generated a $17 billion investment in the American economy. 
The Linux FoundationThe Linux Foundation is a company that "supports the creation of sustainable open source ecosystems by providing financial and intellectual resources, infrastructure, services, events, and training."
The organization has spent an estimated $16 billion as cost for hosting more than 100 of the world's leading projects.
Additionally, more than 35,000 technologists attend the events of the organization. These technologists come from more than 11,000 companies and 113 countries. 
More than 1 million open source professionals have enrolled in the free open source training courses offered by the Linux Foundation. 

Proposed next steps:

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We recommend more research to provide insights around the current state of the solar power energy industry. As available, we will provide information and statistics on the impact of the industry to the environment, estimated usage of/households using solar energy, among other informative insights.

Additionally, we also recommend research to determine: 1. How widespread the media conversation around rapid shutdown, tied to solar is. For context, rapid shutdown is the ability to rapidly shut down solar panels in response to an immediate safety threat such as a fire, 2. How large the media conversation around the environment is i.e. in regards to safety and security.

Lastly, we recommend more research to determine how The Linux Foundation has grown its media reputation. As available, we will provide information on how the company is owning its marketing and communications strategy.