This interactive map illustrates the coming of cost-competitive solar based on a comparison of the unsubsidized cost of solar electricity with retail electricity prices of all 3100 utilities in the United States. The numbers on a state indicate the number of megawatts of solar power that could produce electricity at or below the utility's retail electricity price (without subsidies) for residential and/or commercial customers. The shaded colors indicate what percentage of the residential and/or commercial electricity sales could be met with the cost-effective solar.
With the controls below, you can explore the growth of competitive solar for residential and/or commercial customers; by year, from 2012 through 2022; see the impact of federal tax incentives (without them, with the current 30% federal tax, or with a 10% tax credit as will happen without statutory change in 2017); and adjust the maximum amount of solar allowed on a utility's system (as a percentage of retail sales).
Data for the map are derived from the Commercial Rooftop Revolution report released by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance in December 2012 (see the Appendix for assumptions). This map is just one of our Rooftop Revolution resources on the role of solar in the democratization of energy.
