Colorado ranked 12th for solar capacity added in 2015

Colorado climbed one spot to 12th on the Solar Energy Industries Association’s ranking of states based on how much solar capacity was installed in each in 2015. And while the SEIA report noted that 87 percent of installed capacity in 2015 came in just the top 10 states, Colorado was one of just 13 states to install more than 100 megawatts. The SEIA released its 2015 report on Monday, noting that 7,286 megawatts of solar capacity was added nationwide. That’s up 17 percent from the year before, and is more than eight times as much as was installed just five years earlier. California remained in the top spot, followed by North Carolina, Nevada, Massachusetts and New York, respectively. Arizona, Utah, Georgia, Texas and New Jersey rounded out the top 10, with Maryland coming in 11th. Hawaii was one spot behind Colorado at 13th, after finishing ninth in 2014. Colorado saw 144 megawatts of new solar generation added in 2015, bringing its cumulative total over time to 542 megawatts. California, by comparison, saw 3,266 megawatts installed in 2015 alone, bringing its cumulative total to 13,243 megawatts. North Carolina added 1,160 megawatts in 2015 to bring its cumulative total to 2,113. For the first time ever, there was more solar capacity added than for natural gas, with 29.5 percent of all new electric generating capacity in the United States coming from solar in 2015. The residential solar market grew by 66 percent nationwide, while the utility-scale sector grew by 6 percent.