© 2025 THE COOL DOWN COMPANY. All Rights Reserved. Do not sell or share my personal information. Reach us at hello@thecooldown.com.
California topped every state, supplying 34,411 gigawatt-hours.
Photo Credit: iStock
U.S. rooftop solar has gone from a niche energy source to a mainstream one.
Small-scale solar panel systems across the country are now generating nearly five times as much power as they did a decade ago, and California is the clear leader in total output.
As pv magazine USA reported, citing the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s Annual Electric Power Industry Report, output from small-scale solar setups under 1 megawatt climbed to 92,979 gigawatt-hours in 2025, compared with 18,812 gigawatt-hours ten years earlier. 
California topped every state, supplying 34,411 gigawatt-hours, or 37% of the nation’s small-scale solar total. Between 2024 and 2025, the state’s capacity for small-scale solar rose from 18 gigawatts to 20 gigawatts, and its rooftop solar output grew 8%.
Growth nationwide was fastest in 2022, when small-scale solar output climbed 25% from the prior year.
Some of that run-up came ahead of California’s April 2023 switch from Net Energy Metering 2.0 to the Net Billing Tariff, or NEM 3.0, which lowered how much homeowners earn for exporting power to the grid while letting earlier systems keep the old rules.
Arizona held onto the number two spot in 2025, generating 5,795 gigawatt-hours, just above 6% of the nationwide figure. Its growth rate cooled to 6% that year, down sharply from the 22% pace it posted between 2022 and 2023.
For homeowners, going solar remains one of the best ways to save money on home energy, and EasyHome‘s free explorer tool lets you see pricing and savings from vetted installers in your area.
With energy prices through the roof, there’s never been a better time to go solar — and EasyHome can help you find the best prices from the best installers in your area.
EasyHome takes the guesswork and headaches out of energy upgrades by showing you estimated savings from a network of vetted local partners. To get started, just enter your ZIP and share a few details about your home — seeing your estimate is really that easy.
The data also suggests rooftop solar is no longer heavily concentrated in only one or two states.
Texas climbed from 391 gigawatt-hours of small-scale solar output in 2016 to 5,408 gigawatt-hours in 2025, while Florida rose from 205 gigawatt-hours to 5,198 gigawatt-hours over the same stretch.
In Texas and Florida, property tax breaks and other state incentive programs helped drive that growth.
New York came fifth nationwide for small-scale solar even though the state gets less sunlight than top producers, helped along by incentive programs and better technology.
New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Illinois have seen similar growth, driven by their own state incentive programs.
California’s NEM change appears to have pulled demand forward before April 2023, while Arizona keeps attracting installations thanks to a 25% state income tax credit and rebates from local utilities.
Timing and local rules can have a major effect on savings.
Comparing installer offers, understanding compensation rates for excess power, and checking what state or utility programs are available can make a meaningful difference before signing a contract.
Tools that simplify those comparisons can help. EasyHome‘s free explorer tool lets you compare pricing and projected savings from vetted installers in your area. EasyHome can also help homeowners explore backup battery storage options, and pairing solar with a battery can maximize savings while allowing a home to keep using solar power when the grid goes down.
To arrive at those small-scale generation figures, the Energy Information Administration blends utility survey responses on customer totals and installed capacity with modeling from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, including its PVWatts and System Advisor Model tools.
Rooftop solar’s growth is spreading well beyond California, as more states speed up installations through their own incentives and new tools for homeowners.
• Across the country, states leading the U.S. solar race are scaling installations fastest.
• In Florida, solar installations exploded as homeowners chased steadier electric bills.
• In Connecticut and Virginia, leaders moved to speed home solar as advocates pushed cheaper power.
• Across the U.S., solar could power 100 million homes by 2034 through wider adoption.
Get TCD’s free newsletters for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here.
© 2025 THE COOL DOWN COMPANY. All Rights Reserved. Do not sell or share my personal information. Reach us at hello@thecooldown.com.

source