Top 10 cities for solar in the U.S.— L.A. regains top spot

Los Angeles once again leads U.S. cities in total installed solar capacity, while Honolulu, Hawaii ranks highest for solar capacity per capita, according to a new report.

Environment America released its eighth annual Shining Cities report, which ranks U.S. cities based on total installed solar capacity and capacity per capita. The report found that 121.4 GW of solar PV capacity is now installed in the U.S., enough to power more than 23 million homes.

The rankings reflect data as of the end of 2021, which includes rooftop and utility-scale solar capacity within city limits in DC megawatts.

1. Los Angeles, CA - 649.9 MW
2. San Diego, CA - 468 MW
3. Las Vegas, NV - 442.8 MW
4. Honolulu, HI - 397.8 MW
5. San Antonio, TX - 354.9 MW
6. New York, NY - 354.4 MW
7. Phoenix, AZ - 342 MW
8. San Jose, CA - 290.9 MW
9. Albuquerque, NM - 166.8 MW
10. Washington, DC - 140.2 MW

1. Honolulu, HI - 1,133.5 watts/person
2. Las Vegas, NV - 689.9 watts/person
3. San Diego, CA - 337.4 watts/person
4. Albuquerque, NM - 295.5 watts/person
5. San Jose, CA - 287.1 watts/person
6. San Antonio, TX - 247.4 watts/person
7. Burlington, VT - 222.9 watts/person
8. New Orleans, LA - 218 watts/person
9. Phoenix, AZ - 212.7 watts/person
10. Washington, DC - 203.3 watts/person

The report noted headwinds for solar deployment, despite 15 cities recording a tenfold increase in capacity between 2014 and 2022. Utility rollbacks to net metering, which credits solar customers for surplus electricity they generate and deliver to the grid.

In March the North Carolina attorney general asked state regulators to delay Duke's proposed net metering reforms, saying they didn't account for the true value of distributed generation.

In Florida, meanwhile, solar advocates called on Gov. Ron DeSantis to veto legislation that included "nightmare" impacts to rooftop solar customers.

California regulators punted on their process altogether after receiving backlash from stakeholders over the net metering changes that were proposed by the state's major utilities.