How much of each state's solar electricity comes from small-scale systems rather than large plants. The default map shows small-scale solar as a share of that state's total solar generation; the dropdown switches to utility-scale or small-scale generation in absolute terms.
Utility-scale generation — facilities of 1 MW or greater — is collected from plant operators through the EIA Form EIA-923 survey. Small-scale (distributed) solar is a separate EIA estimate of generation from smaller photovoltaic systems, mostly rooftop panels on homes and businesses, which no plant-level survey covers; the EIA began publishing it in 2014. The share shown here is small-scale divided by the sum of the two.
The solar figures on the rest of this site are utility-scale only, so they understate solar in states with a lot of rooftop capacity. In 2024 California generated 48.4 TWh of utility-scale solar and a further 31.7 TWh small-scale, and in Massachusetts and Hawaii small-scale systems produce more than half of all solar electricity.
