NC was 5th-largest solar market in 2012

North Carolina was the fifth-busiest state for solar installations in 2012, says an annual industry analysis, and now ranks No. 6 in total solar capacity.

California became the first state to install more than 1,000 megawatts in a single year, said the analysis by GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association. Nationally, the market size of the U.S. solar industry grew a record 34 percent in 2012.

North Carolina trailed only California, Arizona, New Jersey and Nevada in installing 132 megawatts last year, enough to supply about 22,000 homes. The state now has a total of 229 megawatts installed, good for sixth-place nationally, the report says.

Falling prices for solar components get credit for the strong growth, but so does North Carolina's renewable-energy portfolio standard. The law forces utilities to get some of their power from the sun and created new markets for solar developers.

Regardless, Republican state legislators filed a measure Wednesday that would gut the standard.