How Solar-Friendly Is Your State? 

Since the mid-2010s, the advancements in solar power systems have made them cheaper to produce, more efficient, less expensive, and more accessible than ever before. Since 2014, the price of solar panels has dropped more than 70%. Today, the solar market continues to grow, increasing by 30% since 2020. Furthermore, some states like Massachusetts offer valuable financial assistance to those wanting to go solar, while states like North Dakota outright dissuade solar use. 

To help homeowners make more sense of America’s complex solar landscape, we conducted a study on which states are the most solar-friendly. This article shares our findings and discusses some reasons for certain states’ rankings. 


    Key Findings

    Our research showed that the top five most solar-friendly states in the U.S. are: 

    1. California, has over 35,000 megawatts of solar installations powering over 8,000,000 homes
    2. Massachusetts, has nearly 4000 megawatts of solar installations powering over 500,000 homes.
    3. Arizona, has over 5,000 megawatts of solar installations powering 800,000 homes.
    4. Hawaii, has 1,500 megawatts of solar installations powering 350,000 homes
    5. Nevada, has nearly 5,000 megawatts of solar installations powering over 600,000 homes.

    On the other hand, the least solar-friendly states are: 

    1. North Dakota, with a single megawatt of solar installations powering just over 100 homes
    2. South Dakota, with two megawatts of solar installations powering just over 200 homes
    3. Alaska, with 15 megawatts of solar installations powering nearly 1,500 homes
    4. West Virginia, with 20 megawatts of solar installations powering over 1,000 homes
    5. Nebraska, with 73 megawatts of solar installations powering almost 8,000 homes

    Solar Friendliness by State

    Solar friendliness is a complex topic, as many factors impact a state’s solar industry. For our study, we took the following elements into account:

    • Population
    • Solar installations (measured in megawatts) 
    • Estimated residents powered by solar 
    • Percentage of electricity generated by solar 
    • The amount of money invested in the state’s solar industry as of 2022 
    • Number of state incentives (if any) 

    Below we’ll discuss some of our most important and notable findings. 

    Most Solar-friendly States 

    The top five most solar-friendly states came as little surprise, with California leading the pack by a wide margin. Currently, California’s population sits at 38,959,247, with 8,548,370 residences powered by solar electricity.

    The Golden State has invested over $73 billion in its solar industry, producing over 35,950 megawatts of solar power and generating over 23% of the state’s electricity. California’s solar incentives and sunshine have made the state a figurehead in the solar industry and green energy movement, with the numbers to back it up. 

    Next in line comes Massachusetts, with 3,927 megawatts worth of installations, Arizona at 5,743, Hawaii at 1,477, and Nevada at 4,967. Each state has invested billions in solar energy, with Arizona being the second highest at $13 billion. Each state also has a large amount of its electricity provided by solar power, with Massachusetts having almost 20% of its total power come from solar panels (check out recommended solar companies for Massachusetts residents). 

    The last five of the top 10 most solar-friendly states are Texas at 13,947 megawatts, North Carolina at over 7,935, Florida at 9,012, Utah at 2,616, and New Jersey at 3,992. One thing that may appear odd at first glance is Texas’s placement at the number six spot. While Texas produces more overall megawatts than most other states in the top five, it comes up short when you average its total population to the number of residents powered by solar. Also, the total percentage of electricity provided by solar compared to the amount of fossil fuel it consumes is extremely low.

    most-solar-friendly-state-infographic

    Interestingly, our data showed that sunshine is not an automatic qualifier for solar energy. States must actively invest in developing a solar industry and promote interest in solar with funding and incentives. Take Florida, for example. The Sunshine State, unsurprisingly, receives a massive amount of sunlight and would benefit from a robust solar system more than many other states. However, due to the state’s tenuous relationship with solar power and its relatively recent implementation of a solar program, its numbers are much lower than one would expect. 

    Least Solar-friendly States

    The biggest surprise we found when conducting our study was how poorly the lowest states ranked in each category. The two most unfriendly states for solar power are North and South Dakota. There are only three megawatts of solar power between them, with North Dakota only possessing one and South Dakota the other two. North Dakota’s single megawatt worth of panels contribute enough energy to power only 113 homes, and South Dakota’s two only power 213. Unsurprisingly, these states also contribute the least amount of funds toward solar power in the entire country, with North Dakota only spending $2 billion and South Dakota $4 billion

    The next three entries on the list of least solar-friendly states go to Alaska with 15 megawatts worth of installations, West Virginia at 20, and Nebraska at 73. The jump from number two to three on this list is significant, as Alaska contributes $32 billion toward solar power, nearly 10 times more than South Dakota. Funding amounts become even more extreme when you compare the number one spot with number five, as Nebraska contributes $91 billion to its solar industry, over 45 times the amount of North Dakota. 

    least-solar-friendly-state-infographic

    Rounding out the 10 least solar-friendly states are Kansas at 97 megawatts worth of solar panels, Wyoming at 143, Oklahoma at 93, Kentucky at 74, and Louisiana at 208. Unfortunately, none of these states offer solar incentives. Worse yet, some states on this list, like Oklahoma, are states that restrict solar power and fine residents who utilize it. In 2014, Oklahoma signed HB 1456, which mandated that utility companies apply an additional tax to any household using solar or wind energy. 


    The Data 

    Below are the results of our study. You can sort the table by category or search for your state directly.

    State

    Rank

    Population

    Solar installation 2022 (megawatts)

    Number of Residences Powered by Solar in 2022

    Percent of State’s Total Electricity

    Money Invested in Solar

    Tax Incentives 

    California

    1

    38,959,247

    35,950

    8,548,370

    23.6

    $73,700,000,000

    no

    Massachusetts

    2

    6,962,372

    3,927

    545,258

    18.5

    $9,100,000,000

    yes

    Arizona

    3

    7,408,017

    5,743

    810,751

    8

    $13,900,000,000

    yes

    Hawaii

    4

    1,433,336

    1,477

    356,477

    17

    $3,400,000,000

    yes

    Nevada

    5

    3,201,212

    4,967

    672,070

    15.3

    $7,800,000,000

    no

    Texas

    6

    29,947,238

    13,947

    1,082,407

    2.3

    $11,200,000,000

    no

    North Carolina

    7

    10,678,831

    7,935

    859,707

    7.5

    $10,100,000,000

    no

    Florida

    8

    22,040,323

    9,012

    842,897

    3.4

    $9,600,000,000

    no

    Utah

    9

    3,426,431

    2,616

    442,889

    8.3

    $3,500,000,000

    yes

    New Jersey

    10

    9,242,109

    3,992

    586,709

    6.6

    $14,800,000,000

    no

    New York

    11

    19,415,392

    3,586

    474,848

    2.7

    $7,000,000,000

    yes

    Vermont

    12

    647,378

    401

    69,026

    14.5

    $729,000,000

    no

    New Mexico

    13

    2,113,550

    1,289

    287,628

    6.1

    $2,300,000,000

    yes

    South Carolina

    14

    5,259,222

    1,936

    222,247

    2.4

    $2,300,000,000

    yes

    Georgia

    15

    10,852,484

    4,299

    359,160

    3.5

    $3,700,000,000

    no

    Idaho

    16

    1,981,332

    608

    79,587

    3.5

    $817,000,000

    yes

    Colorado

    17

    5,855,078

    2,236

    340,720

    4.1

    $4,300,000,000

    no

    Maryland

    18

    6,157,731

    1,459

    153,463

    4.3

    $3,900,000,000

    no

    Virginia

    19

    8,662,151

    3,790

    280,993

    2

    $2,800,000,000

    no

    Rhode Island

    20

    1,094,843

    576

    73,698

    6.6

    $644,000,000

    no

    Minnesota

    21

    5,702,253

    1,700

    215,771

    3.4

    $2,400,000,000

    no

    Iowa

    22

    3,196,911

    510

    54,792

    0.5

    $568,000,000

    yes

    Montana

    23

    1,125,473

    125

    16,699

    0.3

    $160,000,000

    yes

    Connecticut

    24

    3,609,924

    1,131

    130,963

    2.4

    $2,400,000,000

    no

    Oregon

    25

    4,259,743

    1,293

    144,197

    2.3

    $1,800,000,000

    no

    Delaware

    26

    1,012,615

    171

    18,101

    3.9

    $504,000,000

    no

    Pennsylvania

    27

    12,916,089

    936

    96,859

    0.4

    $2,900,000,000

    no

    Illinois

    28

    12,518,144

    1,465

    89,781

    0.4

    $1,400,000,000

    no

    Indiana

    29

    6,831,167

    1,366

    111,763

    0.7

    $1,200,000,000

    no

    Ohio

    30

    11,767,059

    890

    63,137

    0.4

    $1,300,000,000

    no

    Michigan

    31

    10,032,720

    927

    83,045

    0.4

    $714,000,000

    no

    Wisconsin

    32

    5,903,573

    855

    71,572

    0.5

    $644,000,000

    no

    Tennessee

    33

    7,059,618

    608

    35,968

    0.6

    $877,000,000

    no

    Maine

    34

    1,381,441

    486

    44,523

    1.4

    $349,000,000

    no

    Missouri

    35

    6,180,523

    358

    33,187

    0.7

    $774,000,000

    no

    Arkansas

    36

    3,042,231

    579

    43,550

    0.8

    $486,000,000

    no

    Washington

    37

    7,765,004

    314

    25,938

    0.3

    $707,000,000

    no

    Alabama

    38

    5,056,005

    578

    30,531

    0.3

    $341,000,000

    no

    Mississippi

    39

    2,940,820

    320

    34,294

    0.7

    $354,000,000

    no

    New Hampshire

    40

    1,405,243

    175

    21,763

    1

    $351,000,000

    no

    Louisiana

    41

    4,576,882

    208

    18,248

    0.4

    $465,000,000

    no

    Kentucky

    42

    4,519,315

    74

    6,241

    0.2

    $116,000,000

    no

    Oklahoma

    43

    4,018,931

    93

    9,557

    0.1

    $131,000,000

    no

    Wyoming

    44

    581,813

    143

    22,382

    0.4

    $153,000,000

    no

    Kansas

    45

    2,928,419

    97

    12,559

    0.2

    $134,000,000

    no

    Nebraska

    46

    1,966,441

    73

    7,931

    0.2

    $91,000,000

    no

    West Virginia

    47

    1,773,866

    20

    1,134

    0.03

    $33,000,000

    no

    Alaska

    48

    731,721

    15

    1,496

    0.1

    $32,000,000

    no

    South Dakota

    49

    905,404

    2

    213

    0.02

    $4,000,000

    no

    North Dakota

    50

    770,221

    1

    113

    0

    $2,000,000

    no


    Final Thoughts

    The states at the top of this list possess robust solar programs while encouraging their residents to invest in green energy. The most prosperous are also those situated in regions with large amounts of sunlight, making solar energy more efficient for residents. Overall, the future of solar energy looks bright, as the popularity of this renewable energy is only increasing. 

    As solar energy becomes more efficient and less costly, it seems likely that even fossil fuel-reliant states will begin to adopt solar power. For example, states like Florida, which resisted solar power for years, eventually turned over a new leaf, embracing this technology in the late 2010s. With this in mind, it’s hard not to be optimistic about the future of solar energy in the United States. 


    FAQs on the Most and Least Solar-Friendly States

    What Areas of the U.S. Receive the Most Sunlight?

    The Southwestern portion of the United States receives the most sun on average, specifically in states like Arizona, California, Texas, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, and Colorado. While in the Southeast, Florida also receives a lot of sunlight.


    How Much Do Solar Panels Cost? 

    A full solar power system can cost anywhere from $5,000 to over $40,000. Most homes can be fully powered with a solar power system costing around $16,000.


    How Many Solar Panels Does it Take to Power a Home? 

    Depending on your home size and power requirements, you’ll typically need between 20 to 24 solar panels in a system to keep your home powered. Factors like area, weather, season, and appliance usage can affect this number.


    Are Solar Panels Affordable? 

    For most households to afford solar panels, they’ll need to take advantage of the Federal Solar Tax Credit Program alongside local incentives like state tax credits, rebates, sales tax reductions, property tax deferments, and net metering. State incentives vary significantly across the country, and homeowners should research these programs before investing in solar.



    Methodology

    To find the most and least solar-friendly states, we analyzed solar data from SEIA and Choose Energy among other sources listed below. We analyzed data for 50 states in 2022. We used factors such as population, installation quantity, investment in solar programs, percentage of energy covered by solar, the number of residences powered by solar, and tax incentives in each state to rank the states with the most solar-friendly foundations. 

    Sources 

    Editorial Contributors
    avatar for Sam Wasson

    Sam Wasson

    Staff Writer

    Sam Wasson graduated from the University of Utah with a degree in Film and Media Arts with an Emphasis in Entertainment Arts and Engineering. Sam brings over four years of content writing and media production experience to the Today’s Homeowner content team. He specializes in the pest control, landscaping, and moving categories. Sam aims to answer homeowners’ difficult questions by providing well-researched, accurate, transparent, and entertaining content to Today’s Homeowner readers.

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    Lora Novak

    Senior Editor

    Lora Novak meticulously proofreads and edits all commercial content for Today’s Homeowner to guarantee that it contains the most up-to-date information. Lora brings over 12 years of writing, editing, and digital marketing expertise. She’s worked on thousands of articles related to heating, air conditioning, ventilation, roofing, plumbing, lawn/garden, pest control, insurance, and other general homeownership topics.

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