March Solar Generation by State Report
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California once again takes first place among states generating electricity from solar power this month. The Golden State produced more than 30% of the U.S. total of 10,534 thousand megawatt-hours, according to ChooseEnergy.com®’s March Solar Report. The report is an analysis of the most recent data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).
Following is a breakdown of the rest of the states (all shown in thousand megawatt-hours) from the EIA’s most recent data from December 2022:
Top 10 states generating electricity from solar
| State | December solar generation | % of U.S. total generation |
|---|---|---|
| California | 3,174 | 30.1% |
| Texas | 1,347 | 12.8% |
| Florida | 920 | 8.7% |
| North Carolina | 577 | 5.5% |
| Arizona | 572 | 5.4% |
| Nevada | 509 | 4.8% |
| New York | 280 | 2.7% |
| New Jersey | 248 | 2.4% |
| Virginia | 239 | 2.3% |
| Colorado | 229 | 2.2% |
U.S. solar generation of electricity decreased by 8.6 % in October compared with solar generation in September. Only 2 states experienced an increase in solar generation from October to September, Florida (7%), and Georgia(2%).
Following are October and September solar generation levels in states with significant production and the percentage change from month to month. States are listed in order of the amount of electricity generated by solar (including thermal) in thousand megawatt-hours.
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Solar power by state
| State | December solar generation | November solar generation | % change |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 3,174 | 3,945 | -19.5% |
| Texas | 1,347 | 1,475 | -8.7% |
| Florida | 920 | 891 | 3.3% |
| North Carolina | 577 | 708 | -18.5% |
| Arizona | 572 | 698 | -18.1% |
| Nevada | 509 | 616 | -17.4% |
| New York | 280 | 302 | -7.3% |
| New Jersey | 248 | 272 | -8.8% |
| Virginia | 239 | 280 | -14.6% |
| Colorado | 229 | 233 | -1.7% |
| Massachusetts | 228 | 255 | -10.6% |
| Utah | 201 | 276 | -27.2% |
| New Mexico | 143 | 168 | -14.9% |
| South Carolina | 137 | 164 | -16.5% |
| Hawaii | 123 | 132 | -6.8% |
| Illinois | 121 | 169 | -28.4% |
| Maryland | 106 | 122 | -13.1% |
| Minnesota | 99 | 125 | -20.8% |
| Oregon | 78 | 98 | -20.4% |
| Connecticut | 69 | 77 | -10.4% |
| Indiana | 59 | 81 | -27.2% |
| Pennsylvania | 56 | 57 | -1.8% |
| Rhode Island | 49 | 53 | -28.9% |
| Maine | 48 | 53 | -9.4% |
| Wisconsin | 45 | 57 | -21.1% |
| Ohio | 45 | 65 | -30.8% |
| Arkansas | 44 | 59 | -25.4% |
| Michigan | 43 | 59 | -27.1% |
| Missouri | 38 | 45 | -15.6% |
| Tennessee | 35 | 48 | -27.1% |
| Iowa | 33 | 44 | -25% |
| Idaho | 29 | 35 | -17.1% |
| Louisiana | 28 | 34 | -17.6% |
| Washington | 25 | 30 | -16.7% |
| Mississippi | 25 | 34 | -26.5% |
| Vermont | 17 | 21 | -19% |
| Delaware | 13 | 13 | 0% |
| Kentucky | 12 | 10 | -20% |
| Oklahoma | 11 | 11 | 0% |
| Kansas | 9 | 9 | 0% |
| Wyoming | 7 | 10 | -30% |
| Nebraska | 6 | 7 | -14.3% |
| Montana | 3 | 4 | -25% |
| West Virginia | 2 | 2 | 0% |
| U.S. | 10,534 | 12,336 | -14.6% |
States with the highest percentage of power from solar
Nationally, solar accounted for about 2.9% of the electricity produced in December. Following are the states that produced the largest percentage of their power from solar:
Top 10 states for percentage of total electricity from solar
| State | % of total electricity generated from solar |
|---|---|
| California | 18.5% |
| Nevada | 15.7% |
| Hawaii | 15.4% |
| Massachusetts | 11.3% |
| Rhode Island | 8.2% |
| Vermont | 8.1% |
| Arizona | 6.6% |
| Utah | 5.7% |
| New Jersey | 4.8% |
| Florida | 4.6% |
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