A new report released this morning ranks the top 12 solar producing states. Vermont and Massachusetts are among the leaders and New York is swiftly climbing the ranks.
Vermont and Massachusetts rank ninth and 10th, respectively, in in Solar Electricity Watts Per Capita produced among all the states. The two states rank seventh and eighth respectively in solar installed per capita.
That’s according to a new report from Environment America: “Lighting the Way What We Can Learn from America’s Top 12 Solar States.” Referred to as the “Dazzling Dozen,” the report cites common denominators in how the states approach the solar industry.
Environment America Energy Program Director Rob Sargent is co-author of the report. He says in 2012, installation of solar nearly doubled all previous installations nationally. And he says the report found certain states are driving that phenomenon.
Sargent says the report finds that there is no single policy that makes solar succeed.
The Vermont Public Interest Research Group is working with Environment America to distribute the report. Clean Energy Advocate Ben Walsh notes that Vermont is recognized for its net metering policies, which allows solar energy buyback to utilities. But there is room for improvement.
Among the states that did not make the top 12 is New York, which, according to Rob Sargent, ranked 17th in installations per capita.
AllEarth Renewables in Williston, Vt. is a manufacturer and installer of solar systems. Management team member Andrew Savage says the company is seeing a significant increase in demand for solar.
Savage notes another report by the Solar Foundation that ranked Vermont 11th in solar jobs per capita with the top sectors for employment in manufacturing, installation, sales and distribution.
