Case in point: For the first time ever, more new solar energy systems were installed in the U.S. last year than new natural gas plants built. According to a new report from the Solar Energy Industry Association and analysts at GTM Research, solar systems supplied 29.5% of the new energy sources built in 2015. In total, solar companies installed an astounding 7.2 gigawatts of solar panels in 2015, which was 17% more than the industry did in 2014. Solar still falls behind coal, natural gas and hydropower in producing the nation’s electricity, but with federal regulations helping lower the costs of clean energy, expect to see the solar industry having another record-breaking year in 2016.