The Solar Energy Industries Association and GTM Research released the report at Solar Power International, a conference and trade show in Los Angeles.

The U.S. Solar Market Insight report compiled data from the first half of 2010, which forecasts that the domestic solar industry could achieve a new milestone this year by installing a gigawatt of new capacity by year's end. That figure would more than double the 441 megawatts added in 2009.

"This report just confirms what we already know: that solar energy is gaining traction in the United States," said EVSO President and CEO Robert Hines.

"Now that U.S. public policy has become stable and friendly towards solar, more and more people are taking a serious look at this revolutionary technology."

The domestic solar industry has avoided the malaise plaguing the overall economy thanks in part to an federal investment tax credit for renewable energy that will stay in place through the end of 2016.

Unsurprisingly, California led states in solar capacity added in the first six months of 2010, followed by New Jersey, Arizona and Florida.

"Due to ever-improving solar technology, the costs associated with generating electricity using photovoltaic panels are becoming increasingly affordable," Hines said.

"We expect that the price gap between solar power and power generated from traditional fuels will continue to narrow. The development of a cleaner, more efficient and renewable energy industry is already creating thousands of jobs across the country."

In Houston, Evolution Solar is partnering with Texas Southern University to install eight AmpleSun thin-film photovoltaic panels on the campus that are intended to serve as a cornerstone of the new TSU Green Technology Center.

The project will be Evolution Solar's first array featuring the AmpleSun panels in the U.S. The company also recently completed construction on a solar demonstration project in the City of Brookshire, Texas.

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