Americans poised to set rooftop solar record

America's residential-solar industry is on the verge of a record-breaking year after overcoming a bruising due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Bloomberg-NEF now forecasts three gigawatts of residential-solar installations in 2020, topping the previous high of 2.8 gigawatts set last year, according to a report released Monday. BNEF expects another 3.6 gigawatts to be installed in 2021. And it's not just residential solar seeing growth — onshore wind and utility-scale solar are also having a robust year.

Demand for residential solar has rebounded after installers early in the pandemic had to limit, if not ditch, a key marketing tactic — door-to-door sales. A shift to digital sales amid lockdowns has proved fruitful, deepening the pool of potential customers, BNEF said.

Now, many homeowners forced to work at home are contemplating upgrades to their residences, some spurred by weather-related power outages.

“The push for renewables is really strong,” said Tara Narayanan, an analyst at BloombergNEF, in an interview.

“It's allowed the sector to shake off the worst of the plague and some natural disasters.”