Top Solar Power States Per Capita (Updated) vs Top Solar Policy Leaders (CleanTechnica Exclusive)

27 thoughts on “Top Solar Power States Per Capita (Updated) vs Top Solar Policy Leaders (CleanTechnica Exclusive)”

• I have a new name for this article–The Solstice Report!!!!

  • ha 😀

  • мy coυѕιɴ ιѕ мαĸιɴɢ $51/нoυr oɴlιɴe. υɴeмployed ғor α coυple oғ yeαrѕ αɴd prevιoυѕ yeαr ѕнe ɢoт α $1З619cнecĸ wιтн oɴlιɴe joв ғor α coυple oғ dαyѕ. ѕee мore αт…­ ­ViewMore——————————————&#46qr&#46net/kkEj

    i recently stuck that post with the infographic in our sidebar under
    solar. but planning some posts to further highlight that again.

• The what you would save per month and over time maps need to get more exposure.

  The last one could be labeled “Could you use an extra $20k, $30k when you retire?”

  • and that’s based on 2011 data.

    i recently stuck that post with the infographic in our sidebar under solar. but planning some posts to further highlight that again.

  • @bob what should be said is “invest that extra $30k into an off grid solar system and prevent carbon loading”

    • Lisa – enough of this “carbon loading” bullshit.

      It’s just stupid.

      Putting solar on the grid cuts the use of coal.

      Going off grid does not make sense for most people. It makes sense for most to stay on the grid and push for more wind and other renewables. And then grid storage as prices become more reasonable.

      • notably, Bob is off grid, and he realizes the pros & cons.

        • I want to go DIY off grid little by little. Starting with 100W 24×7. Any chance we can see DIY articles along those lines?

        • What renewable source do you have aside from solar?

          The grid is pretty cheap “storage” and backup. Cleaner than a generator and cheaper than batteries.

          If you want DIY stuff get your hands on some Home Power Magazine issues. I think you can purchase copies/articles on line and your library might have copies.

        • Nothing other than solar.

          You are talking about https://www.homepower.com/subscribe-and-save?template=subscribe?

          Know of any discount codes to get a better price than $38.95? If you don’t and this is what you recommend I’ll pay the $38.95.

        • Whoa, you gave me a case of sticker shock.

          That’s a three year paper subscription, not a single year.

          Oh, I see. You need to subscribe for three years in order to read back issues. Why not do the digital thing and get it for $24?

          Here’s another route. Get a copy of John Schaefer’s Real Goods book. It’s how I bootstrapped into solar before I discovered Home Power.

          You can get a used copy for $6 bucks at Amazon. $10 with shipping.

          http://www.amazon.com/dp/0916571068

          John covers all the stuff you need to know. In fact, I did a two day workshop with him back before he wrote the book.

          And you could start with Backwoods Solar’s Learning Center for free and pick up the very basic info.

          http://www.backwoodssolar.com/home-power-basics

          Probably anything you want to know is on the web for free.

        • Thanks for the resources, Bob! 😀

  • yeah, planning to share those more now that i recently ran across them on one of our posts from when the infographic came out.

    but fyi, here are two recent posts referencing them that i think you’ll like and can definitely be shared!

    http://costofsolar.com/how-much-does-solar-power-cost-infographic/

    http://costofsolar.com/how-much-are-solar-panels-savings/

• Holy Crap!?! The payback period in Mass. is 4 years? Why doesn’t every building there have solar?

  • good Q

• Interesting graphics, and I know they are averages, but I’d love to see if the updated 2012 data matches my experience better. I “went solar” in Oregon for a net cost of about $1500 (10% of the nominal system cost), with an estimated 6-year payback. That’s a lot different from $16,000 and 14 years. Given those figures and the very large monthly savings (my savings will average about $20/month), I expect that the size of the system in these graphics is much larger than mine, missing the “sweet spot” for maximizing the tax and utility credits. Unless you are willing to spend your own money instead of taxpayers’ and ratepayers’ money to go solar, it makes sense to find the optimal system size that gets you the most solar for your out-of-pocket dollar.

  If you need more but don’t have extra money lying around, be patient and wait a few years to add on. The costs will come down, and if the tax credits are still around, you’ll be eligible for another round of them.

  • yeah, i’d love to see the 2012 updates on those state savings. will see if i can wriggle them out of someone.

• It’s all about 2012 at least for Arizona. Total capacity: 1093.5. Installed in 2012: 710.3. About 65% of Az total came online last year. Were there a couple of giant projects that turned on? For CA it’s about 40% still a huge fraction of the total.

  • Yeah, AZ has benefited from some large solar power plants.

• It looks from the crosstab table that state solar policy has to be good enough, but beyond that doesn’t determine the volume of installation. That’s what common sense would predict. Of course, if any state suddenly adopted Japanese solar FITS, than it would shoot to the top of the installation table, but that’s not going to happen..

• About 2:40 into the video he talks about how CA is doing so well compared to other countries and how those other countries must step up their efforts. However when comparing us to most European countries we are doing significantly worse. There was a chart just this week showing that per person or per GDP, I forget which, we are far far behind. So this Governor obviously doesn’t really know what is going on. And when somebody is passionate yet clueless it’s a sign that they really are just talking the talk…

• With an initial investment cost on average of $17,000 and a savings over 20 years on average of just $20,000, seems like a poor choice for an investment (only 1% per year).

  Bob….I would rather put $17,000 in the stock market and have $45,000 (5% per year) in 20 years when I retire.

  • It depends on where you live. In Hawaii you’d save about $65k.

    And don’t forget that the price of solar is coming down rapidly. The US average for rooftop is over $4 while in Germany, Australia and the UK solar is being installed for $2/watt.

• Why is it so difficult to find articles defining the least-friendly states for solar and other forms of renewable energy? I understand there are a number, such as Utah, and Florida just passed a law saying people must be connected to the power grid.

  Can you guys provide an article discussing this, the challenges people can expect to have in setting up alternative energy, etc?

• I am assuming this is a summary blog/online article piece written on the main points of the formal report that was filed? Very interesting topic! Would you please let me know where I can get a copy of the formal report? I am interested in seeing your technical analysis. Thanks Zachary!

• It shows in the chart that the state where on the highest ranking was the places where their are abundance of sunlight throughout the year.I agree that this places are among the places which have a longer sunny seasons .

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