Solar energy is growing quickly across America, providing enough clean electricity to power 2.2 million American homes. As costs for solar-generated electricity become increasingly competitive with traditional energy sources, what can we expect next from the industry?

Find out by joining me on Twitter next Wednesday, May 7, at 2 p.m. ET, for a live #SolarChat — the largest online live chat for the solar community. During the discussion I’ll join a panel of experts across the solar industry to answer your questions on all things solar — from the successes and challenges facing the industry to game-changing innovations on the horizon.

In particular, we’ll discuss the Energy Department’s SunShot Initiative, which leverages support from the public and private sector — as well as the scientific community — to aggressively drive down the cost of solar energy technologies. Only three years in, the solar industry is already more than 60 percent of the way to achieving SunShot’s aggressive cost target: $0.06 per kilowatt hour for utility-scale PV solar electricity by 2020. This all leads up to an even larger discussion on America’s solar future at the 2014 SunShot Grand Challenge Summit in Anaheim, California, from May 19-22.

I look forward to joining you and other solar thought leaders for #SolarChat next Wednesday as well as at our upcoming Summit. You can submit your questions to me and other panelists in advance of the discussion on Facebook and Twitter using #SolarChat or via email to newmedia@hq.doe.gov.