Written by John Lounsbury
How Smart Local Policies Are Expanding Solar in America
The Environment America Research & Policy Center has released a report showing where the most solar power implementation is occurring in the U.S. As of the end of 2015, 20 cities – representing just 0.1 percent of U.S. land area – accounted for 6 percent of U.S. solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity.
Solar power grew at a record-breaking pace in 2015. The United States now has more than 27,000 megawatts (MW) of cumulative solar electric capacity, enough to power more than 5.4 million American homes. Hundreds of thousands of Americans – especially in our cities – have invested in solar panels on their roofs or solar projects in their communities, and millions more are ready to join them.
The 64 cities surveyed in the Environment America report have installed to date over 1,700 MW of solar PV capacity – nearly as much solar power as the entire country had installed at the end of 2010.
The table below shows the data for the top 20 cities and the map below the table shows all 64 cities with MW of solar installed.
But on a per capita basis some small cities not in the top 20 overall show up in the top 15 list, below.
To read the entire report click on cover page image, below.
