The Top Solar States in 2020

The solar power market thrived in 2019. The residential market broke records, and the commercial market didn’t do so bad either. Some states moved up in the rankings, some stayed the same, and other states dropped down.

Here are the latest rankings of the top states regarding solar panel installations throughout the United States.

#5 Florida

The sunshine state is a great state for solar power. Its nickname itself is an indicator that the state is going to be great for solar panel installations.

Even though Solar in Florida fell from 3rd to 5th, the state is still in the top 10 for solar power. There are currently 53,201 solar panel installations in Florida, and the state currently gets 1.87% of its electricity from solar panels. There is currently 3,690.35 MW of solar power installed in the state, which is enough to provide 4532,837 homes with electricity coming from solar panels, and it is projected that in the next 5 years the state will add 8,962 MW of solar power, giving them back the third-ranking. Florida has currently invested $5,680.48 million in solar power. The solar power industry has created 12,202 jobs in the states, and there are currently 584 solar companies in the state, 304 of which are solar installers/developers.

Florida has a ton of solar panel installations, one of the more notable ones is going to be the Martin Next Generation Solar Energy Center. This was completed in 2010. This photovoltaic solar panel installation has enough solar power capacity to generate 75 MW of solar power, which is enough to provide power for more than 8,216 Florida homes.

#6 Nevada

Solar in Nevada is not a gamble. Nevada sees quite a bit of sunshine throughout the year, which means that getting a solar panel installation in the state makes sense.

The state has done some good work, and solar in Nevada has moved from the 10th ranking to the 6th. There are currently 51,294 solar panel installations in Nevada, and the entire state currently gets 13.71% of its electricity from solar panels. Currently, there is 3,556.19 MW of solar power installed in Nevada, which is enough solar power to provide power for 661,123 homes, and in the next 5 years, it is projected that the state will add 5,121 MW of solar power in the next 5 years, moving the state to the 4th ranking. Currently, Nevada has invested $7,019.02 million in solar power. The solar power industry has created 7,000 jobs, in the state, with 144 solar companies, 76 of which are solar installers/developers.

Of all of the notable solar panel installations in Nevada, one of the coolest is going to be Cooper Mountain 3, which is in Boulder City and was completed in 2015 by the solar developer Wood. This solar panel installation is going to have the solar power capacity to generate 250 MW of solar power, which is enough to provide 41,030 Nevada homes with solar power.

#7 New Jersey

New Jersey isn’t exactly known for having the ‘sunniest’ weather, but that hasn’t stopped the state from having success in the solar power industry. The Jersey Shore is a great place for homeowners to get a solar panel installation.

New Jersey has been a leader in the solar power industry, and this past year, the state has moved up from the 9th ranking to the 7th. The state currently has 117,331 solar panel installations, and they get 4.66% of their electricity from solar power. Solar in New Jersey currently has 3,180.74 MW of solar power installed, which is enough to provide 523,757 homes with solar power, and in the next 5 years, it is expected to add 1,834 MW of solar power, resulting in a little bit of a drop to the 12th ranking. The state has currently invested $10,124.57 million in solar power. The solar power industry has created 6,225 solar jobs and has 579 solar companies, 362 of them are solar installers/developers.

Cool solar panel installation is the 10 MW, L&D Landfill Solar in Mt. Holly, which is one of the largest solar panel installations in New Jersey. This solar panel installation project has enough electric capacity to provide solar power more than 1,553 homes.

#8 Massachusetts 

Solar in Massachusetts has dominated, even in the cold and snowy winters. Solar panel installations in this state alone have helped dispel the myth that solar panels aren’t going to work in the winter.

Solar in Massachusetts has used been a great success, the state has moved up to the 8th ranking to the 13th. The state currently has 106,073 solar panel installations, and they currently get 13.65% of its electricity from solar panels. There is currently 2,767.68 MW of solar power installed in Massachusetts, which is going to be enough to provide 480,323 homes with solar power, and in the next 5 years, it is expected to add 1,451 MW of solar power, predicting that they will fall to 19th place. The state currently has invested $7,029.49 million in solar power. The solar power industry has created 10,400 jobs, and there are currently 5454 solar companies, 209 of which are solar installers/developers.

One of the most notable solar panel installations in Massachusetts is going to be the Barnstable Municipal Airport and was completed in 2015. This solar panel installation can generate 6.9 MW of solar power, which is going to be enough to provide over 1,133 Massachusetts homes with solar power.