Just a few years ago, solar power was far and away the most expensive form of energy available and essentially void from the United States.  Although many were enticed by the sustainability aspect of solar energy, very few were actually willing to pay the price for it.

However, the average price of installing a solar electricity system has since dropped 70% since 2000, meaning that it now costs less than a third of what it did in 2000 to install solar panels in your home.

This huge drop in price has made an equally large difference in the prevalence of solar energy in the US.  As of right now, solar energy is on track to account for more new energy capacity than any other source except for natural gas.

In fact, solar energy may top the list as the number one source for new energy for a single year by 2016.

For more information on the trends in solar installation pricing and some interesting graphics depicting the change, check out this article.