Washington, D.C., Ranked as Region’s Solar Leader

Media Contacts
Emma Searson

Environment America

Washington, D.C. – The City of Washington, D.C., ranks 17 in the nation for solar energy in a new report, making it the south atlantic region’s leader for installing clean energy from the sun.

“Cities like Washington, D.C., are leading the way to a future powered by clean, renewable energy,” said Bret Fanshaw with Environment America. “By tapping into more of our vast solar energy potential, we can benefit from cleaner air and fight climate change.”

Washington, D.C., ranked number one in the south atlantic region for both total megawatts of solar and solar megawatts per capita as of year-end 2017. The city has used solar energy to realize its commitment to uphold the Paris Agreement greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets through its Clean Energy Plan.

The report, Shining Cities 2018: How Smart Local Policies Are Expanding Solar Power in America, shows that the top 20 solar cities, comprising just 0.1 percent of the country’s land mass, account for 4 percent of U.S. solar capacity.

“We are in a moment when progress on renewable energy will come from cities across the country,” said Fanshaw with Environment America. “More local leaders should step up and start plugging their communities into the clean and virtually limitless power of the sun.”

Shining Cities is the fifth annual report from Environment America Research & Policy Center. Each year, the survey ranks nearly 70 of the nation’s major cities by megawatts of solar energy.