And what can the other 40 states learn from them?
Solar power has made
incredible progress here in the U.S. According to a new report from Environment
America. In the last 10 years, solar panel capacity has increased more than
120-fold. In just 2011 to 2013 alone, solar power has tripled.
Incredibly, 10
standout states are responsible for a big chunk of that growth.
The Lighting the
Way: The Top Ten States that Helped Drive America’s Solar Energy Boom in 2013
report notes that even though these 10 states account for only 26 percent of
the U.S. population, they’re responsible for a whopping 87 percent of the
county’s solar boom.
The states
deserving a standing ovation? Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii,
Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico and North Carolina, all of which
are doing a massive part in helping the entire country curb its reliance on
dirty (not to mention, increasingly expensive) fossil fuels by harnessing the
power of the sun.
Here are some of
the most interesting points and lessons (highlighted in bold) from the
Environment America report. Perhaps the states that didn’t make the cut should
take note.
The report
emphasizes that the most important factor of solar success is due to support
from state and local governments, who have created policies that push for
growth in renewable. For example, the report states that New Jersey has a
target of obtaining 4.1 percent of its electricity from the sun by 2028.
California has an extremely high renewable energy target — 33 percent — by
2020.
Speaking of
California, the Golden State state is also expanding its battery storage
technology so residents can rely on the sun’s power even after it sets, the
report finds.
Several states
in the top 10 also encourage small businesses and individual homeowners to go
solar by paying them for the renewable energy they create. For instance,
Hawaii’s feed-in tariff pays 21.8 cents per kilowatt-hour for small-scale
residential solar projects, the report says. Clearly, it really does pay to be
green.
Top-ranked
Arizona has the highest solar electricity capacity per capita, with 275 watts
of solar electricity capacity per resident — about seven times as much solar
electricity capacity per person compared to the national average. So why is
Arizona a solar success story? According to the report, the state was the first
to require utilities to obtain a certain percentage of their electricity from
solar energy. However, the Arizona Corporation Commission (the state’s utility
regulator) recently voted to end tax incentives which could hurt businesses and
residents who want to go solar, the report points out.
It’s no
surprise that sun-spoiled western states rank near the top, but even small
eastern states such as New Jersey, Massachusetts and Delaware have made the cut
thanks to high electricity prices as well as public concern about pollution and
clean energy. It’s clear that many Americans want a clean and efficient energy
future, and these states are responding to the call.
North Carolina
rounded out the top 10 due to its several large-scale solar energy installations
by utilities, which shot the state’s solar capacity per-capita by more than 140
percent since 2012, the report says. The state also allows clean energy
companies to compete utilities and lets consumers pick their energy supplier.
The big takeaway
is that these states and their local governments have shown solid support and
enacted polices that encourage and incentivize businesses, individuals and
communities to make the switch to solar.
With the Obama
administration’s new limits on emissions, the whole country needs to do their
part. Especially since the planet is only getting hotter. Luckily, they can
look to these 10 states that are truly lighting the way.
Nationswell