Although the final numbers are still being tabulated, by all projections, the US solar installation market doubled in size during 2010. That’s right, twice the 2009 figures, which was 435 MW’s (megawatts). Depending on whose numbers you believe, everyone agrees that the 2010 solar market in the US was booming. The estimates for 2010 of people who buy solar panel are anywhere from 855 MW’s to over 1 GW (gigawatt) of new solar installations., As the final figures shake out, the US still accounts for only 6.5% of the global solar demand. Many sources are projecting solar installations for 2011 to be 1.5 GW (gigawatts) or higher. One thing is for sure: Since 2000, when the US only installed 3.9 MW’s compared to today’s figures, the solar industry in the US is one of the fastest growing in the world today.