Solar panel installations per yearUS pet industry spending
As solar installations have grown, pet industry spending has grown, a correlation of 0.978 that connects the rooftop panel to the food bowl with the suburban confidence of a chart that knows exactly what the upper-middle-class American household looks like: solar on the roof, a golden retriever in the yard, and a budget that accommodates both.
Solar installations grew to over 30 gigawatts per year. Pet spending grew to over 136 billion dollars between 2016 and 2022. Both serve the same affluent homeowner demographic. Seven data points, both up. The same household that can afford rooftop solar can afford premium pet food, and both purchases are identity-driven investments in sustainability and companionship.
Seven years of solar and pets is a suburban household budget in chart form: the panel generates clean energy, the dog generates unconditional love, and the homeowner pays for both. The roof is green, the bowl is premium, and the correlation is just a ZIP code with excellent credit.
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Want to learn more about why correlations like “Solar panel installations per year” vs “US pet industry spending” don't prove causation? Read our guide to statistical thinking.