Leading the Charge: The Top 5 Solar States of 2023

Solar is coming off a landmark, record-shattering year in 2023.

For the first time in history, solar accounted for over half of all new electricity capacity added to the grid, and nearly 800,000 American homes installed a new solar or solar + storage system.

While federal clean energy policies played a major role in driving this growth, the work happening at the state level is the untold story of America’s favorite energy source in 2023. Today, 26 states and Puerto Rico have at least 1 gigawatt (GW) of installed solar capacity, up from just 14 states five years ago. This solar power boom is bringing wide-reaching benefits to communities nationwide, creating thousands of jobs, lowering household electricity bills, boosting grid resiliency, and uplifting local economies.

To celebrate this momentous year, SEIA is counting down the top five solar states of 2023 — all of which are positioning themselves as national leaders in America’s energy economy.

Ohio is back in the top ten solar states for the first time in over a decade, and its fifth-place finish in 2023 is its highest rank to date. New solar capacity in the state increased by a whopping 1,230% year-over-year, with 1.3 GW installed.

Utility-scale solar investments are driving this growth, with over 3 GW across 20 projects in the pipeline for development, including projects that pair solar with Ohio’s robust agricultural sector and livestock farms.

Ohio is also a longtime leader in solar manufacturing and is poised to continue growing this market as the United States builds out its domestic solar supply chain.

For the first time since 2010, Colorado is back in the top 5 solar states in 2023 with 1.6 GW installed, nearly ten times more than it installed in 2022.

Last year, Governor Jared Polis signed a major law to boost clean energy deployment in Colorado, setting the stage for the state to continue leading the nation’s clean energy economy. Colorado boasts strong numbers across all the major solar market segments and is also home to the world’s largest solar-powered steel plant.

Florida maintained its spot as the number three solar state for the fifth straight year, adding a record 3.2 GW of new solar capacity in 2023. The aptly named Sunshine State saw over 50,000 residents install a new solar system on their home last year. Nearly half of Florida’s 220,000 residential solar systems were installed in the last two years.

Florida communities are increasingly turning to solar power for the cost-savings and resilience benefits it provides in the wake of worsening tropical storms and hurricanes.

For the second time in the last three years, California missed out on the top spot in the state solar rankings for 2023. Even though it installed a strong 6.2 GW of new solar capacity, recent regulatory decisions from the California Public Utilities Commission have significantly damaged California’s rooftop solar sector. In total, the state’s solar market is expected to decline 36% across all market segments in 2024.

California remains the largest solar market in the nation with 46.9 GW of installed capacity, enough to power nearly 14 million homes. State leaders must step up to encourage more solar and storage adoption in the near- and long-term if California is going to meet its 2030 clean energy goals.

Everything is bigger in Texas — especially the solar industry.

Texas was at the top of the solar leaderboard in 2023, installing more solar than any other state. Since 2021, Texas has installed over 15 GW of new solar capacity which is more solar than the entire United States installed in 2019.

From 2024-2034, Texas will lead the nation with nearly 100 GW of new solar capacity additions, outpacing the next closest state by a two-to-one margin.

Energy storage is ramping up across Texas as well, with more grid-scale battery capacity expected than any other state in 2024.

Learn more about the latest trends for the U.S. solar and storage industry in SEIA and Wood Mackenzie’s Solar Market Insight 2023 Year in Review report.