Thirteen California cities were recognized today by Sunrun and solar market authority PV Solar Report for leading the way in state solar market growth, helping fuel 80% growth this year. Not only are several of these cities new additions to the list we published last year, many of them reflect continuing solar adoption in middle-income communities. The information heartily disproves the thought that solar might disproportionately benefit the wealthy.
Cities on the list are evaluated based on the same time frame used last year – the start of the year through May 31. Traditional solar powerhouses like Bakersfield and Fresno are seeing fantastic growth, but it’s the more recent cities that are pulling ahead. Newly listed cities like Santa Clarita and Castaic are seeing solar installations grow exponentially. Check out the list for yourself:
- Santa Clarita
- Castaic
- Palmdale
- Clovis
- Pleasanton
- Temecula
- Visalia
- Yucaipa
- Apple Valley
- Fresno
- Canyon Country
- Murrieta
- Lancaster
In 9 of the 13 high-growth cities, at least 75% of homeowners preferred solar service over buying panels. The model helps push solar into median income zip codes. For example, the average for median annual household income across all 13 high-growth cities was approximately $57,000. This is a far cry from wealthy coastal cities like Malibu, which has a median annual household income of $160,000 according to the latest US census data.
For more details on the 13 cities listed here, check out the full press release, and if you’d like to learn more about solar for your home, head over to the Sunrun homepage.
