Nearly 4% of US homes have rooftop solar installed
In 2020, 3.7% of US homes generated electricity from small-scale solar panels, reports the US Energy Information Administration.
According to a new report by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) on residential energy consumption, about 3.7% of US single-family homes generated electricity from small solar module in 2020.
Residential solar buildout varies widely by region. The western United States had the most with 8.9%, followed by the northeast (4.7%), the south (1.7%), and the midwest (1.4%). Commercial solar adoption was also most common in the west, with 3.8% of buildings generating electricity with local solar. This was followed by the northeast (2.5%), the midwest (0.8%), and the south (0.6%).
The presence of small-scale solar on residential and commercial buildings also differed by year of construction, said the report. Buildings constructed after 1980 were more likely to have solar installed.
The report showed that 5.7% of households with incomes of more than $150,000 installed solar, while 1.1% of households with incomes less than $20,000 installed solar.
The EIA noted that government-owned buildings are more likely to have small-scale solar generation than non-government ones. Buildings used for public assembly, education, office space, or retail accounted for 61% of all commercial buildings that reported having small-scale solar generation.
