Solar  -  April 20, 2022

Honolulu Leads In Adding Solar Among Cities

The top nine U.S. cities for solar power combined have more solar installed than the entire country did 10 years ago, according to a new study released by Environment America Research & Policy Center and Frontier Group. 

The cities that lead in per capita solar capacity by region are Honolulu in the Pacific region; Las Vegas in the Mountain region; Indianapolis in the North Central region; San Antonio in the South Central region; Washington, D.C. in the South Atlantic region; and Burlington in the Northeast region, according to the report, Shining Cities 2022: The Top U.S. Cities for Solar Energy. This report is the eighth edition of America’s most comprehensive survey of installed solar PV capacity in major U.S. cities. 

The survey tracked data through December 2021 and noted that the United States now has 121.4 gigawatts of solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity installed. The paper also found that fifteen major U.S. cities recorded a tenfold increase in their solar capacity between 2014 and 2022.

“On the very first Earth Day, in 1970, solar power was in its infancy,” said Susan Rakov, chair of Environment America Research & Policy Center’s clean energy program, in a statement. “The idea of affordably powering an average American home with free renewable energy from the sun was a pipe dream. But actions by governments, industry and consumers have transformed that pipe dream into reality. This report shows just how far our major cities have come toward tapping the immense power of the sun. Each of these ‘shining cities’ has helped to clean up our air and water and protect our climate – and that’s something to celebrate and build on, on Earth Day and every day.”