Solar capacity in the United States of America could rise to 3.2GW by the end of 2012. The boom in renewable power generation means that the solar PV market alone has seen 44 per cent year-on-year growth in the third quarter. The residential market has reached an all-time high for a single quarter. This has been attributed to falling solar panel prices and the growth of solar-lending programmes, says a report by GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association.