California has by far the greatest installed capacity of solar photovoltaic (PV) power of any U.S. state. As of end of 2022, the Golden State had a cumulative solar power capacity of over 39 gigawatts. Texas followed with a capacity of roughly 17.2 gigawatts. Both U.S. states also had the largest solar PV capacity additions in 2021.
Solar power across the U.S.
Solar power accounts for around 2.8 percent of the total electricity generated in the United States. Since the turn of the century, the solar PV capacity installed in the North American country has experienced an exponential growth, surpassing 90 gigawatts as of 2021 – this is enough to power the equivalent of 18 million average homes in the country. Even though the U.S. energy mix is still dominated by fossil fuels, renewable sources are forecast to grow in the upcoming years.
Employment in the U.S. solar market
The solar sector is an incubator for job growth across the United States. Over the last decade, employment figures in the U.S. solar market have increased nearly threefold. More than 255 thousand people work in the solar industry, with the state of California concentrating the largest solar workforce in the country.
Leading states based on cumulative solar photovoltaic capacity in the United States as of 2022
(in megawatts)
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SEIA. (March 9, 2023). Leading states based on cumulative solar photovoltaic capacity in the United States as of 2022 (in megawatts) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved September 20, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/183531/renewables-in-the-us-leading-states-in-pv-capacity/
SEIA. "Leading states based on cumulative solar photovoltaic capacity in the United States as of 2022 (in megawatts)." Chart. March 9, 2023. Statista. Accessed September 20, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/183531/renewables-in-the-us-leading-states-in-pv-capacity/
SEIA. (2023). Leading states based on cumulative solar photovoltaic capacity in the United States as of 2022 (in megawatts). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: September 20, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/183531/renewables-in-the-us-leading-states-in-pv-capacity/
SEIA. "Leading States Based on Cumulative Solar Photovoltaic Capacity in The United States as of 2022 (in Megawatts)." Statista, Statista Inc., 9 Mar 2023, https://www.statista.com/statistics/183531/renewables-in-the-us-leading-states-in-pv-capacity/
SEIA, Leading states based on cumulative solar photovoltaic capacity in the United States as of 2022 (in megawatts) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/183531/renewables-in-the-us-leading-states-in-pv-capacity/ (last visited September 20, 2024)
Leading states based on cumulative solar photovoltaic capacity in the United States as of 2022 (in megawatts) [Graph], SEIA, March 9, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/183531/renewables-in-the-us-leading-states-in-pv-capacity/