According to the U.S. Department of Energy's news release dated March 25, 2009, entitled, "Solar Energy Grew at a Record Pace in 2008," solar energy deployment increased at a record pace in the United States and throughout the world in 2008. On March 19, 2009 the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) released its "2008 U.S. Solar Industry Year in Review," which found that U.S. solar energy capacity increased by 17% the past year, reaching the equivalent of 8,775 megawatts (MW). The SEIA report also notes that the United States installed 342 MW of solar photovoltaic (PV) electric power, 139 thermal megawatts (MWTh) of solar water heating, 762 MWTh of pool heating, and 21 MWTh of solar space heating and cooling in 2008.