US solar power generation for 2014-16

[nikkkom]

Solar generation results for US are out for 2016.
Year over year:

http://www.eia.gov/electricity/annual/html/epa_01_02.html
US: Net Generation (Thousand Megawatthours) 2014
Solar: 17691 (that's 0.43%)
All sources: 4093606

https://www.eia.gov/electricity/annual/pdf/epa.pdf:

US: Net Generation (Thousand Megawatthours) 2015
All sources: 4077601
Solar utility scale: 24893 0.61%
Solar all (estimated): 39032 0.95%

US: Net Generation (Thousand Megawatthours) 2016
All sources: 4076827
Solar utility scale: 36054 0.88%
Solar all (estimated): 54866 1.34%

 

[russ_watters]

Solar generation results for US are out for 2016.
Year over year:

http://www.eia.gov/electricity/annual/html/epa_01_02.html
US: Net Generation (Thousand Megawatthours) 2014
Solar: 17691 (that's 0.43%)
All sources: 4093606

https://www.eia.gov/electricity/annual/pdf/epa.pdf:

US: Net Generation (Thousand Megawatthours) 2015
All sources: 4077601
Solar utility scale: 24893 0.61%
Solar all (estimated): 39032 0.95%

US: Net Generation (Thousand Megawatthours) 2016
All sources: 4076827
Solar utility scale: 36054 0.88%
Solar all (estimated): 54866 1.34%

How does this differ from monthly data published a few months later? In other words: why is 2016 data just coming out now when all of the monthly data for 2016 has been in the public domain for like 9 months?

In any case, this is just data...so...what is the purpose/point of this thread?