THE PRESENT STATUS OF SOLAR POWER GENERATION IN THE

UNITED STATES

(The Journal of Energy and Development, Vol. 42, No. 1/2 (Autumn 2016 and
Spring 2017), pp. 1-20

“Shining Cities: At the Forefront of America’s Solar Energy Revolution” reported

that the top 20 cities have a total installed solar PV capacity of over 890 megawatts
(MW) which is 7 per cent of USA nation’s solar PV capacity. Five cities of
California (i.e. Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco, and Sacramento)
are among the top 20 cities in solar power generation. Both geographical and
government incentives decide the performance of the state in the solar power
installation system. These cities do not only have geographical advantages but also
administration support to back up the solar installation. California governors took
the initiative in 2006 by launching Million Solar Roofs Initiative, now part of the
“Go Solar California” campaign. Los Angeles has the lowest solar energy price in
the nation with the largest installed PV capacity, whereas, in San Diego, many
participating residents reported zero or (negative) energy bills of $16. It happens
with governments incentives by introducing (1) Solar Loan and (2) Solar Lease,
Green Vision, Go Solar SF, and for lower-income groups zero installation cost in
San Francisco.

Cities like Phoenix, Honolulu, San Antonio, Denver, Jacksonville, New Orleans,
Albuquerque, Austin, Las Vegas, and Raleigh adjacent to California boasts around
300 sunny days, an ideal situation to tap solar energy. These cities also benefit
from the solar-friendly environment in the state. Governors of these cities provide
various incentives like Solar Tax Credits, Solar Sales Tax Exemption, 100-percent
Property Tax Exemption Power Purchase Agreement.

Solar energy is one of the purest forms of energy with emission reduction quality.
It has the potential to solve the power shortage and support sustainable
development. Solar power reduces an estimated 16.8Billion tonnes of carbon
dioxide annually. Although, solar energy has some disadvantages, which are
financial rather than environmental. Federal Government has pushed more than
$150Billion in solar subsidies. Massive federal support for solar energy reflects
through approximately 350 different Federal initiatives, twenty federal agencies
having participated in 1,500 solar projects. However, in recent years, many solar
projects have faced more than half budget cuts and isolation of some vital projects
by the Federal Government. White House has once again moved to a traditional
source of energy. The State government has individually taken the initiative to
promote solar power in their region. Wide-ranging financial support from states
showed positive trends in the solar installation system. Fourteen states have added
solar-specific mandatory targets in their RPS goals to stimulate the renewable
energy market and technology development to provide affordable electricity
generated from clean energy. More than 600000 Americans have installed the net
metering system to sell their excess electricity to offset their electricity bill.