5 Things About U.S. Solar Roofing Market | Roofing Contractor

High expectations for the U.S. solar roofing market in 2024 may have been tempered by sustained high interest rates across the country and some rate declines in key states. Yet, roofers are still getting serious about solar.

“You can get very passionate about solar because you want to protect the environment. You can get passionate about it because you know it’s the future and want to be on the cutting edge. I’m excited about it because it’s a reason for people to replace their roofs prior to them needing to be replaced,” said Ken Kelly, founder of Kelly Roofing in Bonita Springs, Fla.

Kelly, RC’s 2019 Residential Roofing Contractor of the Year, was among the first roofing contractors in the country to install a Tesla Solar Roof. He recently retired from the company and is now consulting roofing contractors on various business models, including solar.

“It’s an economic driver for our industry as a whole, and if you’re not playing in that market, you’re either going to be out of the market, or someday you’ll be forced to, and you’ll be behind your competition,” he said.

Recent data from the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) appear to validate the optimism. While the residential solar segment declined by double digits compared to 2023, commercial solar installations are slated to grow by 8%. The SEIA projects industry-wide annual growth will average 4% from 2025 to 2029, presenting myriad opportunities for roofing contractors.

Here are five things to know about the state of the solar roofing market:

Art Aisner is Editor-in-Chief of Roofing Contractor and Roofing Supply Pro. He spent the bulk of his career as a multi-media journalist for newspapers and television stations before joining the RC team in 2015. He is the driving force behind the publication’s content development, editorial strategy and other initiatives that serve growing audiences in the roofing space.