The solar industry is no longer the bastion of environmental interests and pilot project developers. The industry has matured to the degree that mainstream financial institutions, ranging from institutional investors to traditional private equity infrastructure investors, have started to place substantial amounts of capital in this increasingly attractive sector. While investment in the sector remains strong, the sector is not without its complexities. For investors to better understand the solar finance landscape, here are five key trends shaping the industry.

Growth in solar development has not stalled, despite the 8 percent decline projected for 2017. Global solar development is projected to grow a remarkable 48 percent compared to 2015, reaching 76 gigawatts installed in 2016. This is certainly cause for celebration, though we in the United States cannot claim all the credit. It appears record-level solar development in China is largely responsible fo