Which States Have Led the Movement Towards Clean Energy?
Solar energy is sweeping the nation, but some states have been a little quicker to jump on the bandwagon than others. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that the states on the coasts, which often have the biggest population centers with high energy requirements, and where there generally seems to be a larger movement with respect to concerns about the impact of energy use on our environment, are pushing solar energy a bit harder than the southern and midwestern states.
Residents in these other areas of the country may have lower energy needs and may also be more reliant on fossil fuels for their economies, as is typically the case. But when we really drill down, where does each state stand on solar energy savings? Read on to find out the details now.
Community Power Scorecard
The Institute for Local Self-Reliance has helpfully generated a Community Power Score for each state in the union. The scores range from 0 to 38 and are based on the energy policies of each state and how well they help or how much they hinder clean energy action. These numbers were then converted into a grade, with A representing the states that were the best on energy initiatives and solar savings, B representing an average energy incentive plan, C for those states who could do better, and F for states that offer little or no solar savings at all.
The Best and the Worst States for Solar Savings and Capacity
The big winners when it came to solar savings and energy incentives were Massachusetts, California, New York and Illinois, the only states to achieve an “A” rating, with scores from 29-32.
Massachusetts got the top score in the survey of 32, with features like net metering, simplified interconnection for distributed energy resources like solar energy, and financing for commercial properties with property-assessed clean energy.
California was close behind with a score of 31, with many of the same incentives as Massachusetts, but lacking only the requirement of utility renewable energy procurement to include distributed resources and a strong shared renewables program.
New York, with a score of 30, does require distributed resources and also features net metering and simplified interconnection, but the state could have a better building energy code and does not have a standard contract for distributed renewable energy projects.
Illinois is right there with New York having earned a score of 29, with most of the incentives New York offers, but could also have a stronger shared renewables program.
Which States Did the Worst In Terms of Solar Savings?
The big losers when it comes to solar and other energy-efficient initiatives include:
Kansas and North Dakota, with only 3 points each, due to weak net metering opportunities and allowing communities to set their own building energy codes, as well as no other real solar or other energy incentives.
South Dakota also has a score of 3 and is not the best place to look for big solar incentives. They have passingly acceptable grid interconnection rules but no real energy-efficiency incentives to speak of at all, currently.
Worst on the list were Alabama and Louisiana, each with a score of 2 and virtually no energy-efficiency incentives, although Louisiana has a passable net-metering environment.
Solar in Your State
No matter where you are, even if you are in one of the “worst” states for solar energy, you should not give up on solar paneling for your home. Even without incentives, you can usually expect to save money in the long run, and you will be doing your part to protect the environment. To see how much you can save by going solar, use the solar savings calculator at Calculatesolarsavings.com now.