Where America's Solar Power Actually Sits

US solar capacity has grown roughly eightfold in a decade, with more than 160 gigawatts currently operating in the country.

The rate of installation keeps climbing rather than levelling off. The US Energy Information Administration expects developers to add 44 gigawatts of new utility-scale solar capacity this year, accounting for more than half of all installations. That would amount to a 60% increase on the prior year. Solar now accounts for 51% of all new utility-scale generating capacity planned for the US grid this year, more than storage and wind combined.

There are some clear regions that emerge: The superclusters of big solar development out west in states like California, Texas and Arizona. The large amount of smaller projects out east, in states like New York, Virginia, New Jersey and Massachusetts. And the nearly absence of solar projects in the Midwest, especially the Dakotas and Wyoming.

Solar’s concentration

California, Texas, Arizona and Florida account for half of all solar capacity in the US, because the states offer the rare combination of a sun, cheap land and grid operators willing to connect projects quickly.

Texas alone has accounted for nearly a quarter of all solar capacity coming online this year. The state’sedge comes largely from ERCOT, whose interconnection process moves faster than most other US grid operators, letting projects reach commercial operation in less time than it takes elsewhere.

The density paradox: the Northeast corridor

Why are there so many solar projects out east? It likely won’t come as a surprise that many states like Texas, Arizona and California have an abundance of solar projects. But in the east, where land is more limited and solar irradiance is weaker, projects are often built off the back of strong renewable electricity and emissions goals held by northeastern states. In regions like New York, where land is more expensive and the solar irradiance is weaker, stronger programs are needed to help meet developer investment returns.