Solar power is one of the fastest growing sectors in the energy industry and with over 60 gigawatts of solar photovoltaic capacity currently it can provide enough energy to power almost 10% of homes in the country.

Many large American cities have led this revolution in solar energy and these early innovators are benefiting from being early into the market. These heavily populated urban centers create large demands on the power grid and because they offer rooftops up into the millions there is an enormous opportunity to move to renewables such as solar energy and wind turbines.

In a recent solar industry survey it was indicated that as of 2018 the solar power installations in only twenty United States cities is now more than the solar power installed in the entire country by end of the year 2010. Nearly 80% of the 57 cities that were surveyed increased their solar installations by more than double from 2013-2018. Over 30% of these 57 cities increased their installed solar capacity by over 400% from 2013-2018.

In order to stay on this course of rapid growth in the solar energy sector it is imperative that local municipalities, counties, states and the federal government must get proactive and issue strong incentives and mandates along with tax credits to encourage homeowners as well as businesses and utility companies to invest in solar energy.

Not surprisingly, Honolulu is by far the leader for solar power per capita with San Diego, San Jose, and Burlington, Vermont following respectively. These forward thinking cities are setting the example for what is needed to divest from fossil fuel and move to clean energy solutions. The enormous metropolis of Los Angeles has the most overall installed solar power capacity and has added over 150 MW of solar capacity.

As can be seen by the fact that a far northern city like Burlington can be a leader in solar power, leading solar cities are not restricted to just areas of the country where it is always warm and sunny. Not only do we have leaders in the obvious locations such as Honolulu, Las Vegas, and San Antonio but also in areas like Indianapolis, DC, and Vermont.

While some fossil fuel companies and utilities are investing in solar and other renewable energy, others are attempting to interfere with the rapid growth of the renewable energy sector. Some states and utility companies are charging solar customers fees and charges to try to dissuade them from installing solar panels. These charges and fees effectively make a solar customer’s electric bill the same as a conventional utility customer.

These primitive mindsets are simply not going to be able to stand in the way of the onslaught of renewable energy. According to a study by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory or NREL, the rooftops of small buildings alone could provide enough solar power to handle the electricity needs of almost every home in the country.

ClearWorld is advancing this cause by providing Solar LED Solutions to cities, parks, military bases and more. Learn more at ClearWorld Solar Lighting Solutions