Top 6 Solar-Powered Cities In California

If going solar was a game, California would be winning.

The Golden State is currently leading the nation in solar power with 4,559 megawatts installed for almost 600,000 solar projects. To put this into perspective, even 1 megawatt can power as many as 1,000 homes.

Overall, the United States saw a record-breaking growth of solar power potential in 2016. Today, our country has the potential to create 42 gigawatts of photovoltaic energy, or electricity generated from sunlight. For some context, 42 gigawatts is enough energy to power 8.3 million homes and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 52.3 million metric tons on an annual basis. This is a striking contrast to the 7.3 GW installed in 2015.

And the state that’s basking in the most sunshine? That’s right. Here are the top six cities in California responsible for making the Golden State our nation’s solar powerhouse. Did your community make the cut?

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#6 Riverside

Total photovoltaic energy produced: 32 megawatts

Don’t discount this solar underdog. Riverside rose from 20th to eighth place on the list of solar leaders since 2014. As of 2017, there are about 78,900 solar-viable roofs in Riverside. With that much solar energy, Riverside could:

• Counter 568,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions
• Take 120,000 passenger cars off the road for one year
• Plant 14.6 million tree seedlings over the course of 10 years

#5 Sacramento

Total photovoltaic energy produced: 40 megawatts

Sacramento ranks 10th out of the 20 most solar-powered American cities. As of 2017, there are about 137,000 solar-viable roofs in Sacramento. With that amount of solar energy, Sacramento could:

• Counter 866,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions
• Take 183,000 passenger cars off the road for one year
• Plant 22.2 million tree seedlings over the course of 10 years

#4 San Francisco

Total photovoltaic energy produced: 46 megawatts

San Francisco joined the ranks of the “Solar Stars” (cities with 50 or more watts of installed solar PV capacity per person) between 2015 and 2016. As of 2017, there are about 96,700 solar-viable roofs in San Francisco. With that much solar power, the city could:

• Counter 419,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions
• Take 88,700 passenger cars off the road for one year
• Plant 10.8 million tree seedlings over the span of 10 years

#3 San Jose

Total photovoltaic energy produced: 174 megawatts

San Jose rose from from fifth to fourth place from 2015 to 2016. As of 2017, there are about 201,00 solar-viable roofs in San Jose. With that amount of solar energy, San Jose could:

• Counter 1.4 million metric tons of CO2 emissions
• Take 239,000 passenger cars off the road for one year
• Plant 35 million tree seedlings over the course of 10 years

#2 Los Angeles

Total photovoltaic energy produced: 267 megawatts

Los Angeles was, for three consecutive years, the leader in California’s solar energy — until 2016. As of 2017, there are about 620,000 solar-viable roofs in California’s La La Land. With that amount of solar power, Los Angeles could:

• Counter 4 million metric tons of CO2 emissions
• Take 851,000 passenger cars off the road for one year
• Plant 103 million tree seedlings over the span of 10 years

#1 San Diego

Total photovoltaic energy produced: 303 megawatts

Guess which city took Los Angeles down a notch? That’s right — in 2016, San Diego became the premier producer of solar power energy in the Golden State. What’s more, the city has developed less than 14 percent of its technical potential for solar energy on small buildings alone.

As of 2017, there are about 284,000 solar-viable roofs in San Diego. With that much solar energy, the city could:

• Counter 2 million metric tons of CO2 emissions
• Take 414,000 passenger cars off the road for one year
• Plant 50.2 million tree seedlings over the span of 10 years

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Photo credit: Bureau of Land Management via Flickr