US manufacture of solar energy devices surged in 2004, says DOE

The US manufacture of both solar thermal collectors and solar photovoltaic power devices surged in 2004, according to the US Department of Energy (DOE)’s Energy Information Administration (EIA).

An EIA report released recently shows a 23 percent growth in 2004 in shipments of solar thermal collectors, a market heavily dominated by low-temperature collectors for applications such as water heating. Florida and California lead the domestic market for solar thermal collectors. One reason for the growth in sales: the price dropped 24 percent from 2003 levels, to $2.43 per square foot in 2004.

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