For the first time in history, the U.S. installed more solar than natural gas capacity in 2015.

According to a new report by GTM Research, U.S. solar installations increased 17 percent last year to 7,286 megawatts, the 15th consecutive annual record.

The report indicates that nearly a third (29.5 percent) of all new electric-generating capacity in 2015 was supplied by solar.

Despite the big year for installations, solar and solar storage-related stocks were mixed in 2015. While names like SunPower Corporation SPWR 0.22% (+16.7 percent) and Tesla Motors Inc TSLA 4.71% (+9.4 percent) surged in 2015, other stocks like SolarCity Corp SCTY 1.38% (-3.5 percent) and Sunedison Inc SUNE 36.51% (-74.2 percent) struggled.

Even in an extremely depressed oil and gas pricing environment, the residential solar market grew…

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