Twenty cities, representing just 0.1 percent of the land area of the United States, account for 7 percent of solar PV capacity in the United States, according to a report from the Environment California Research & Policy Center. These top 20 cities contain more solar power today than was installed in the entire US six years ago, says the report “Shining Cities – At the Forefront of America’s Solar Energy Revolution.”

The top 20 cities have a total installed solar PV capacity of over 890 MW and are located in almost every region of the country. On a per-capita basis, Honolulu is the leading solar city, followed by San Jose, Calif., and Wilmington, Del.

America’s leading solar cities are increasing their use of solar energy in a variety of ways, including: i) distributed solar PV on homes and small businesses, ii) utility-scale solar power plants, and iii) community projects.

According to GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) report “2013 Year-in-Review US Solar Market Insight,” solar was the second largest source of new electricity generating capacity in the US, exceeded only by natural gas.