U.S. small-scale solar generation quadruples over last decade

Small-scale rooftop solar systems under 1 megawatt have increased generation from 18,812 to 92,979 gigawatthours, with California, Arizona, Texas and Florida leading, while New York ranks fifth due to state incentives and technology improve

First covered Oct 16, 2026 · 7:00 AM PT · 2 articles · no longer in the live window

U.S. small-scale solar generation quadruples over last decade — Image via eia.gov

Coverage

25d CleanTechnica U.S. Small-Scale Solar Generation Has Quadrupled in the Last Decade — We estimate that U.S. generation from small-scale or rooftop solar photovoltaic systems (smaller than 1 megawatt of capacity) has increased from 18,812…

25d EIA Today in Energy U.S. small-scale solar generation has quadrupled in the last decade — We estimate that U.S. generation from small-scale or rooftop solar photovoltaic systems (smaller than 1 megawatt of capacity) has increased from 18,812…

Primary sources

ipa.illinois.gov Exploring Illinois Shines and Illinois Solar for All — cited by 2 of the outlets above

nyserda.ny.gov NY-Sun Solar Program | NYSERDA — cited by 2 of the outlets above

sam.nlr.gov Welcome - System Advisor Model - SAM — cited by 2 of the outlets above

More coverage from around the web

climatecentral.org A Decade of U.S. Solar Growth

climatecentral.org A Decade of Growth in Solar and Wind Power: Trends Across the U.S.

ieefa.org Solar, battery storage to continue rapid growth as coal and gas share of power keeps shrinking

youngresearch.com U.S. Small-Scale Solar Generation Has Nearly Quintupled in the Last Decade

Appeared in: 2026-10-16 (#1) · 2026-10-17 (#1) · 2026-10-18 (#3) · 2026-10-19 (#11)

← Back to the brief