LA and San Diego Lead the Way in Harnessing U.S. Solar Energy

The U.S. currently offers more than 53 gigawatts of solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity installed from coast to coast. That’s enough to power up more than 10 million homes according to the recently released report “Shining Cites: How Smart Local Policies Are Expanding Solar Power in America.”

At the top are two California cities, Los Angeles and San Diego, with San Jose close behind in 5^th. Just 20 cities, including San Diego, accounted for more than 4 percent of the country’s total installed PV capacity, the report said. Geographically, those cities represent just 0.1 percent of America’s total landmass.

The San Diego Patch notes its city, “was named a ‘Solar Star’ by the group, which recognizes cities that have 50 or more watts of solar PV capacity installed per person. While Honolulu ranked first with 606.4 watts of solar PV installed per person, San Diego ranked second in the country with 204.1 watts of solar PV installed per person.

You can read more about San Diego’s solar push and report recommendations to move toward an economy completely powered by renewable energy sources here.