Wind Energy

Top Ten Solar Power States

The New York Times published a rundown today of the top ten states in installed solar power capacity, photovoltaic or concentrating solar power. That California was number one was no surprise, but the other nine were interesting to see. Here, courtesy of the Solar Energy Industries Association, is a Top 10 list for cumulative installed solar capacity in the United States as of 2010.

1. California: 47 percent with 971 megawatts

2. New Jersey: 14 percent with 293 MW

3. Colorado: 5 percent with 108 MW

4. Arizona: 5 percent with 101 MW

5. Nevada: 5 percent with 97 MW

6. Florida: 4 percent with 73 MW

7. New York: 3 percent with 54 MW

8. Pennsylvania: 3 percent with 54 MW

9. New Mexico: 2 percent with 45 MW

10. North Carolina: 2 percent with 42 MW

New Jersey has made its way to second place with some major small-scale solar initiatives. Rooftops and utility poles across the state have gotten the solar treatment and all that distributed solar has added up to a nice chunk of MW.

Pennsylvania and North Carolina were interesting additions, as solar programs in other areas, like the Southwest, have gotten a bit more attention. But it is worth noting that there is over a 900 MW gap between California and North Carolina. California is really at the level I wish all states would strive for, and while 42 MW is nothing to sneeze at, that type of number making our top ten shows we have a much longer way to go overall.

green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/29/the-top-10-solar-states/