Solar energy in the United States is booming. Continuous improvement in technology coupled with rapidly declining costs gives every sunny roof a chance to become a net generator of energy.
Installing a solar PV system on roofs of their home proved to be a good idea for many people. Businesses and individuals found that the payback for these systems occurs faster than it would by upgrading old appliances. As a result, there is enough solar capacity installed nationwide that can power nearly 16 million homes.
Whereas many large enterprises and utilities across the nation installed high volume solar PV plants; small-scale solar also plays an important role in increasing the solar capacity of the nation’s renewable energy mix. As of December 2020, California is leading the way in terms of small-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity with 10.6GW, following by New Jersey with 1.9GW, and Massachusetts 1.8GW.
Although Texas and Florida have less total small-scale solar capacity than states such as California or New Jersey, capacity has grown rapidly in these states in recent years. In 2020, Texas added 422 megawatts (MW) of small-scale solar, and Florida added 282 MW. State incentives, strong solar resources, and policy changes are largely driving these gains.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) began publishing generation and capacity estimates from small-scale solar installations by state and sector in the Electric Power Monthly in 2015. EIA’s small-scale solar category includes any installation that is connected to the grid and is less than 1 MW in size.
One thing is clear, our nation cannot and will not step backward in dealing with the climate crisis. With the right policies, adequate investments in emerging technologies, and efforts by each one of us, we can have a power system that is both clean and reliable.
Solar still represents a small fraction of the overall energy mix but it is continuing to replace fossil fuels and save money. More families and businesses reduce their cost of power during the past 12 months with solar than those who did not have solar panels. There is no reason to wait. Solar is available to you for as little as 0% down. Talk to our solar expert now! Dial +1 408-780-2889.