2014 Ranking - Top Cities in U.S. for Solar Power
A recent report by Boston-based non-profit, Environment America, ranks the 65 largest U.S. cities by total amount of solar PV capacity installed within geographical limits of the city. While solar power is growing rapidly across the country, (from around 170 MW of solar power capacity installed in 2000 to around 20,000 MW of solar power capacity by the end of 2014,) there is still much disparity between the leaders in solar and everyone else. "Last year, 20 cities – representing only about 0.1% of U.S. land area – accounted for a stunning 6.5% of U.S. solar photovoltaic capacity," (Pentland, Forbes.)
Still, we are experiencing very fast growth in the solar field, thanks largely to declining prices, technology improvements, and the inclusion of solar power to progressive business models. Environment America's report, Shining Cities, does highlight some of the typically sunny locations in the U.S., but there are a few mentions on the top 16 that may surprise you.
|
City |
Total Solar PV Installed | Total Solar PV Rank | Per Capita Solar PV Installed |
Per Capita Rank |
| Honolulu, HI |
96 |
6 | 276 |
1 |
| Indianapolis, IN |
107 |
4 | 127 |
2 |
| San Jose, CA |
105 |
5 | 110 |
3 |
| San Diego, CA |
149 |
2 | 110 |
4 |
| Wilmington, DE |
7 |
28 | 101 |
5 |
| New Orleans, LA |
36 |
10 | 94 |
6 |
| Denver, CO |
58 |
8 | 89 |
7 |
| Newark, NJ |
22 |
16 | 78 |
8 |
| Phoenix, AZ |
115 |
3 | 76 |
9 |
| San Antonio, TX |
88 |
7 | 63 |
10 |
| Raleigh, NC |
27 |
13 | 62 |
11 |
| Sacramento, CA |
25 |
14 | 53 |
12 |
| Salt Lake City, UT |
10 |
24 | 50 |
13 |
| Albuquerque, NM |
28 |
12 | 50 |
14 |
| Los Angeles, CA |
170 |
1 | 15 |
15 |
Source: William Pentland, Forbes.com
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