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Solar Energy Trends for 2025

Solar energy installation has been breaking records.  According to the Solar Energy Industry Association, or SEIA, the U.S. solar industry added 32.4 gigawatts (GW) of new electric generating capacity in 2023—a whopping 37% growth from the previous record in 2021. Once the 2024 data has been finalized, the U.S. is predicted to have installed over 40 GW in 2024. And the SEIA does not see this trend slowing down. With advances in technology, policy support, and increasing consumer interest, 2025 is shaping up to be a pivotal year for solar energy in America. Let’s explore the top solar trends expected for the U.S.

Addition of Battery Storage with Solar Installs

One of the biggest trends for 2025 is homeowners and businesses are adding battery storage to their solar installations. As energy storage technologies become more affordable and efficient, combining solar panels with battery systems is set to rise. With utility costs increasing and frequent grid outages, people are looking for reliable backup solutions to future-proof their energy costs and gain energy independence.

Advancements in Solar Technology

Solar Power System in Yellowstone

Advancements in photovoltaic (PV) technology is making solar panels less expensive and more efficient. 

One exciting trend to watch in solar panel construction is perovskite solar cells.  They are known for their high efficiency and flexibility. These cells look to revolutionize the market by offering cheaper and more adaptable alternatives to traditional silicon-based panels. They are still in development stage but look to be hitting the market soon.

📷Dennis Schroeder / NREL

Solar Canopies and Agrivoltaics

Innovative installations like solar canopies over parking lots and agrivoltaics (using farmland for both crops and solar) are gaining popularity. These designs maximize land use and align with sustainability objectives.

Solar Canopies

From shading cars to using land that is already cleared for parking, solar canopies are an easy and smart way to add solar for buildings. According to Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, pavement makes up to 50% of the city surface area, and 40% is parking lots. This will add more use to the claimed space without additional sq. footage.

Agrivoltaics

Agrivoltaics is the practice of using land for both agriculture and solar energy. Adopting land for dual production has many benefits. It may help yield higher crops, increase native habitat, and increase economic opportunties for farmers by leasing their land or electricity sales.

Sunpower Solar Power System on Home

Smart Inverters

Smart inverters will go beyond the basic function of an inverter that converts direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC) by enabling the owner to better manage the flow of electricity.

Improved Efficiency of Electricity Flow Regulation

A smart inverter can adjust the voltage and frequency of AC output to match real-time demand.  Smart inverters will adjust electricity flow to meet current needs by monitoring the energy generated and being consumed. They can even be integrated with battery storage to store excess energy to be used during peak time of use (TOU) periods or at night.

Learn How Solar Can Benefit You

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Read What People Have To Say About Us!

Independent Power
Excellent
4.8
Based on 265 reviews
Brian and tj were very professional and had great customer service. They knew exactly what they were doing and are very knowledgeable of the equipment. What they installed works flawlessly and they left the site spotless
Response from the owner: Thank you for the great 5-star review, Cristi! TJ and Brian are great guys. Not only do they know their stuff, they also genuinely care about our customers. Thanks for choosing to work with us; we appreciate you! Please let us know if we can be of service in the future.
Josh and team installed my home charger and did a great job! They were communicative and friendly, highly recommend and would use again! Thank you!
Response from the owner: Thank you for the 5-star review, Kelsey! We appreciate the shout-out to Josh and our team. We're lucky to have them on our team because not only are they professionals, they also care about helping people out. And congrats on your new charger! Your EV is going to be charged in record time now.Thanks again, please let us know if we can be of service in the future.
Josh did a great job installing our EV charger and some other electrical in our garage. Highly recommend.
Response from the owner: Thanks for the 5-star review, Dave! Josh is a masterful electrician, and we're happy he's part of our team. And, it's exciting to hear you've installed an EV Charger; you're vehicle will be juiced up in lightning speed now. Thanks again for the wonderful review. Please let us know if we can be of service in the future.
I wanted to expand my solar system and my previous provider was totally non-responsive. I found Independent Power when I was biding out the expansion. They have been very professional and timely throughout the entire process. They were able to integrate my old system into the new one with a powerwall. This is a quality contractor!! I would highly recommend them.
Response from the owner: Thank you for the 5-star review, Michael! How exciting that you expanded your solar and added battery storage. We love helping our customers gain energy independence, and we sure appreciate you taking the time to leave a detailed comment. Please let us know if we can be of service in the future!
Josh is amazing and we're grateful for being able to find him through Independent Power! He's been our go to guy for all of our electrical needs. I've used a lot of local electricians, trying to find the right company and people to service our needs. I had zero luck finding this until I got fed up with reaching out to my electricians for a follow up and started searching for another company and found Indepent Power.We are always blown away by his ability to meet the needs of our residents and company. He's always got a smile on his face, super easy to reach and very responsive. This is one of a few reasons I choose to use Independent Power for our needs. I would highly suggest them to anyone looking for an electrician. Very resonable prices, great customer service, the best at following up and always do a wonderful job. I wouldn't go with another company. They are simply the best!
Response from the owner: Wow, Melissa, thank you for this incredible 5-star review! Josh is truly a great guy that happens to be the best electrician. It's wonderful to hear how he's helped you and your residents out. We are lucky to have him as part of the Independent Power team. We appreciate you taking the time to leave a review and share your feedback. Please let us know if we can be of service in the future.
Dakota was communicative and on time. Always very helpful and respectful.
Response from the owner: Thanks for the 5-star review, Matt! Dakota is the best. His priority has always been our customers. His expertise in the HVAC field allows him to help people with everything from service to installation. We're lucky to have him on our team. We appreciate you taking the time to recognize Dakota!
Jan repaired our computer that runs our solar power. She was fast professional and knew what she was doing. I give her 5 stars
Response from the owner: Thank you for the 5-star review, Bruce. We're lucky to have Jan as part of the crew. She's passionate about helping customers, and about solar for everyone. We sure appreciate you and hope we can be of service in the future.
Independent Power finished the installation of our cold-climate heat pump on January 6, just about a week before the super cold, sub-zero temperatures hit. We knew it was going to be the first big test of the system, and I'm happy to say that it came through with flying colors! Our house stayed nice and toasty throughout the cold snap. We still have a gas furnace for part of the house, but we didn't even think of firing it up because we never needed it. Really impressed with the system's performance over the cold snap and in its first month of operation!Now a few words about the Company itself. My understanding is that IPS hasn't been doing heat pump installations all that long, but that they hired people with lots of previous heat pump installation experience. It sure seemed that way to me--the crew that installed our system, which was fairly complex, was really professional, highly skilled, and very responsive to my questions and requests. I gotta say, I was impressed with how quickly and efficiently the team worked.As I mentioned, our system is rather complex: part of it (our lower level and upper level) uses existing ductwork, and the other part (living room, kitchen, dining room) uses wall units. Based on my request, they installed the refrigerant lines in such a way that they are completely hidden. Originally the estimator had specified a route for the lines that would have had a lot of the lines outside the house and also would have required them to punch holes in the ceiling every few feet (which we would then need to repair at added cost). They accommodated my request for the alternate route, which made for a more difficult installation, but a much cleaner one.Another thing I'll mention is that the crew was very careful about cleaning up after themselves at the end of every day. They were all very polite and answered a lot of questions that I and my wife had. Definitely high marks for customer support!We needed an electrical upgrade to handle the extra power draw of the heat pump. The electrician came out in advance of the install to scope out the existing panel and plan the work. He told me exactly where he was going to run the lines and the new grounding system that we needed. His work was very clean and exactly as specified. Extra added bonus: now every breaker has a label describing the circuit that it serves! Plus, we now have a lot of extra capacity for any new loads in the future.I will say that there is a small learning curve with heat pumps. The working fluid doesn't get nearly as hot as a gas flame, so the system uses a slower fan speed and less air flow than a gas furnace. That means that it takes these systems longer to come up to a set point than a conventional furnace. So if you use a nighttime setback temperature, you probably don't want to let it drop as far as you did with your furnace because it will take longer to come back up to your desired temp in the morning. Even so, we've found that we can use a nighttime temp of 62 and unless it's brutally cold outside, the house is usually back up to 70 by the time we come downstairs around 7 am. Also, the user guide that comes with the Mitsubishi wall units leaves a lot to be desired. It can take a while to understand how to control the wall units so they perform the way you want, but we got the hang of it in a couple weeks.All in all, I'm a very satisfied customer and would strongly recommend IPS for your heat pump installation!
Response from the owner: Wow, Dan! We are so grateful for this 5-star review. Your level of detailed explanation on how the install went and the performance of your Mitsubishi heat pump system will help people who are considering a heat pump system what to expect from a system and what it's like to work with our team. It's exciting to see the Colorado Community making the switch to energy-efficient heat pumps and we love being a part of the movement.Please let us know if we may be of service for your future electrification/renewable energy projects.
A+ install experience for a 200A panel upgrade, heat pump, and mini split install. It's rare for a company to have both a stellar HVAC and electrical team. I'll absolutely be looking to Independent for future electrification jobs.
Response from the owner: Thank you for the 5-star review, Riley! We love helping our community switch to heat pumps and designing a system perfect for your needs. We'd be excited to help you with any projects you may have in the future.
TJ did a superb job. He was professional, courteous, and highly knowledgeable. He made sure everything was in working order before he left, and he was available for any questions I had on the new system. I highly recommend him and Independent Power to anyone looking for mini split installs!
Response from the owner: Thank you for the 5-star review, Kirsten! We sure appreciate the shout-out to TJ, we're lucky to have him on our team. And, we're excited that you installed a heat pump system! You will love the comfort they bring to your home. Please let us know if we can be of service in the future.
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Independent Power
Excellent
4.8
Based on 298 reviews
Brian and tj were very professional and had great customer service. They knew exactly what they were doing and are very knowledgeable of the equipment. What they installed works flawlessly and they left the site spotless
Response from the owner: Thank you for the great 5-star review, Cristi! TJ and Brian are great guys. Not only do they know their stuff, they also genuinely care about our customers. Thanks for choosing to work with us; we appreciate you! Please let us know if we can be of service in the future.
Josh and team installed my home charger and did a great job! They were communicative and friendly, highly recommend and would use again! Thank you!
Response from the owner: Thank you for the 5-star review, Kelsey! We appreciate the shout-out to Josh and our team. We're lucky to have them on our team because not only are they professionals, they also care about helping people out. And congrats on your new charger! Your EV is going to be charged in record time now.Thanks again, please let us know if we can be of service in the future.
Josh did a great job installing our EV charger and some other electrical in our garage. Highly recommend.
Response from the owner: Thanks for the 5-star review, Dave! Josh is a masterful electrician, and we're happy he's part of our team. And, it's exciting to hear you've installed an EV Charger; you're vehicle will be juiced up in lightning speed now. Thanks again for the wonderful review. Please let us know if we can be of service in the future.
I wanted to expand my solar system and my previous provider was totally non-responsive. I found Independent Power when I was biding out the expansion. They have been very professional and timely throughout the entire process. They were able to integrate my old system into the new one with a powerwall. This is a quality contractor!! I would highly recommend them.
Response from the owner: Thank you for the 5-star review, Michael! How exciting that you expanded your solar and added battery storage. We love helping our customers gain energy independence, and we sure appreciate you taking the time to leave a detailed comment. Please let us know if we can be of service in the future!
Josh is amazing and we're grateful for being able to find him through Independent Power! He's been our go to guy for all of our electrical needs. I've used a lot of local electricians, trying to find the right company and people to service our needs. I had zero luck finding this until I got fed up with reaching out to my electricians for a follow up and started searching for another company and found Indepent Power.We are always blown away by his ability to meet the needs of our residents and company. He's always got a smile on his face, super easy to reach and very responsive. This is one of a few reasons I choose to use Independent Power for our needs. I would highly suggest them to anyone looking for an electrician. Very resonable prices, great customer service, the best at following up and always do a wonderful job. I wouldn't go with another company. They are simply the best!
Response from the owner: Wow, Melissa, thank you for this incredible 5-star review! Josh is truly a great guy that happens to be the best electrician. It's wonderful to hear how he's helped you and your residents out. We are lucky to have him as part of the Independent Power team. We appreciate you taking the time to leave a review and share your feedback. Please let us know if we can be of service in the future.
Dakota was communicative and on time. Always very helpful and respectful.
Response from the owner: Thanks for the 5-star review, Matt! Dakota is the best. His priority has always been our customers. His expertise in the HVAC field allows him to help people with everything from service to installation. We're lucky to have him on our team. We appreciate you taking the time to recognize Dakota!
Jan repaired our computer that runs our solar power. She was fast professional and knew what she was doing. I give her 5 stars
Response from the owner: Thank you for the 5-star review, Bruce. We're lucky to have Jan as part of the crew. She's passionate about helping customers, and about solar for everyone. We sure appreciate you and hope we can be of service in the future.
Independent Power finished the installation of our cold-climate heat pump on January 6, just about a week before the super cold, sub-zero temperatures hit. We knew it was going to be the first big test of the system, and I'm happy to say that it came through with flying colors! Our house stayed nice and toasty throughout the cold snap. We still have a gas furnace for part of the house, but we didn't even think of firing it up because we never needed it. Really impressed with the system's performance over the cold snap and in its first month of operation!Now a few words about the Company itself. My understanding is that IPS hasn't been doing heat pump installations all that long, but that they hired people with lots of previous heat pump installation experience. It sure seemed that way to me--the crew that installed our system, which was fairly complex, was really professional, highly skilled, and very responsive to my questions and requests. I gotta say, I was impressed with how quickly and efficiently the team worked.As I mentioned, our system is rather complex: part of it (our lower level and upper level) uses existing ductwork, and the other part (living room, kitchen, dining room) uses wall units. Based on my request, they installed the refrigerant lines in such a way that they are completely hidden. Originally the estimator had specified a route for the lines that would have had a lot of the lines outside the house and also would have required them to punch holes in the ceiling every few feet (which we would then need to repair at added cost). They accommodated my request for the alternate route, which made for a more difficult installation, but a much cleaner one.Another thing I'll mention is that the crew was very careful about cleaning up after themselves at the end of every day. They were all very polite and answered a lot of questions that I and my wife had. Definitely high marks for customer support!We needed an electrical upgrade to handle the extra power draw of the heat pump. The electrician came out in advance of the install to scope out the existing panel and plan the work. He told me exactly where he was going to run the lines and the new grounding system that we needed. His work was very clean and exactly as specified. Extra added bonus: now every breaker has a label describing the circuit that it serves! Plus, we now have a lot of extra capacity for any new loads in the future.I will say that there is a small learning curve with heat pumps. The working fluid doesn't get nearly as hot as a gas flame, so the system uses a slower fan speed and less air flow than a gas furnace. That means that it takes these systems longer to come up to a set point than a conventional furnace. So if you use a nighttime setback temperature, you probably don't want to let it drop as far as you did with your furnace because it will take longer to come back up to your desired temp in the morning. Even so, we've found that we can use a nighttime temp of 62 and unless it's brutally cold outside, the house is usually back up to 70 by the time we come downstairs around 7 am. Also, the user guide that comes with the Mitsubishi wall units leaves a lot to be desired. It can take a while to understand how to control the wall units so they perform the way you want, but we got the hang of it in a couple weeks.All in all, I'm a very satisfied customer and would strongly recommend IPS for your heat pump installation!
Response from the owner: Wow, Dan! We are so grateful for this 5-star review. Your level of detailed explanation on how the install went and the performance of your Mitsubishi heat pump system will help people who are considering a heat pump system what to expect from a system and what it's like to work with our team. It's exciting to see the Colorado Community making the switch to energy-efficient heat pumps and we love being a part of the movement.Please let us know if we may be of service for your future electrification/renewable energy projects.
A+ install experience for a 200A panel upgrade, heat pump, and mini split install. It's rare for a company to have both a stellar HVAC and electrical team. I'll absolutely be looking to Independent for future electrification jobs.
Response from the owner: Thank you for the 5-star review, Riley! We love helping our community switch to heat pumps and designing a system perfect for your needs. We'd be excited to help you with any projects you may have in the future.
TJ did a superb job. He was professional, courteous, and highly knowledgeable. He made sure everything was in working order before he left, and he was available for any questions I had on the new system. I highly recommend him and Independent Power to anyone looking for mini split installs!
Response from the owner: Thank you for the 5-star review, Kirsten! We sure appreciate the shout-out to TJ, we're lucky to have him on our team. And, we're excited that you installed a heat pump system! You will love the comfort they bring to your home. Please let us know if we can be of service in the future.
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Independent Power
4.8
Based on 265 reviews
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