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Solar energy is rapidly expanding across the US, transforming how homes, businesses, and industries generate electricity. From reducing utility bills to powering entire off-grid homes, it has become essential to America’s energy landscape. But which states use it the most? And what are the most common applications? This guide breaks down where it’s most common and explores how it’s being used to power everything from homes to wearable tech. Let’s dive in.
Where Is Solar Energy Found in the US?
All across the USA, solar energy is rapidly being adopted as a clean power source to save money on electrical bills. While every state uses solar panels, also called photovoltaics or PVs, these are the top five states that currently use them the most.
California
California has led the USA in photovoltaic installations, producing the largest share of utility-scale solar electricity generation at 25.5% in 2024. Within the state, photovoltaics accounted for nearly 30% of all the electricity they produced in that year. They also lead the country with 40% of small-scale photovoltaic systems, with residential small-scale rooftop or ground-mounted systems accounting for 39%. Given California’s high average electrical bill, along with generous California solar incentives, residential systems like the super-efficient EcoFlow Photovoltaic Generators are rapidly being adopted across the state.
Texas
Texas has plenty of land and sunshine, so it’s no surprise that its utility-scale generation accounts for nearly 20% of the total US photovoltaic generation. In 2022, it accounted for 6% of Texas’ total energy generation. However, seven new large-scale projects have come online, and in January 2024, Texas broke a record for solar power, accounting for 36.11% of the state’s electricity. However, their residential PV adoption still ranks third in the country.
Florida
The Sunshine State comes in third in total photovoltaic output in the USA, with 8% of the state’s electricity coming from photovoltaics in 2024, up 2% from the year before. Residential photovoltaics are gaining popularity in Florida due to the high cost of electricity and incentives like full retail net metering that allows Floridians to save significant money.
North Carolina
North Carolina has been producing PV power since 2007. While the newly installed capacity has declined in recent years compared to faster-growing states like Texas, its total production is still rising. As of 2024, it produces 4% of the total US photovoltaic output, with 9% of state-wide energy production coming from photovoltaics, now surpassing coal, which has declined to 7%.
Arizona
Arizona is not far behind North Carolina, which is also unsurprising, given their abundant sunshine and high peak sunlight hours. According to the Energy Information Administration, in 2024, 10% of Arizona’s power came from photovoltaics. This is good news for being on track for the Renewable Portfolio Standard set by the Arizona Corporation Commission, which requires 15% renewable energy by 2025.
What Are the Most Popular Uses of Solar Energy in the US?
Most of our photovoltaic output produces electricity, with a lesser amount used for space and water heating. Let’s take a closer look.
Home Systems
With the ever-rising cost of electricity all across the USA, more and more people are turning to home photovoltaic systems to generate electricity to power their homes and save with solar, reducing or eliminating their monthly electrical bills. We’re also learning what uses electricity the most in our homes and finding ways to reduce it.
Using photovoltaics to run lights is also becoming increasingly popular, especially with the advancement of LED lighting, which uses much less electricity than older options. We now use small-scale PV systems for indoor and outdoor lighting, garden lights, emergency lighting, and powering holiday lights in an eco-friendly way.
Increasingly, thermal photovoltaics and efficient new water heaters are being adopted to heat water for household use. Photovoltaics are also used for space heating systems, including powering radiant floors or pairing them with hot water or hot air systems to heat homes. It can also power heat pumps to help heat or cool our homes and save significant money on HVAC costs.
Residential users have plenty of affordable options now, with great federal and state incentives to help make it even more affordable than ever. The EcoFlow DELTA Series Solar Generators come in various sizes to suit different needs. For instance, for someone looking to supplement their grid energy and supply power during blackouts for essential appliances, the EcoFlow DELTA 3 Plus (220W) is an excellent choice. This power station comes with 1024Wh of capacity, which is expandable to 5kW with additional batteries, and you can recharge it with the very efficient 220W bifacial portable PV.
Industry
More and more industries are also turning to PV systems to reduce or offset their carbon emissions and to gain better standing with the growing market of conscientious consumers. Businesses can use PVs to run their buildings, lights, and equipment. It’s also used outdoors in tents, construction, wells, and irrigation systems. Solar-powered manufacturing facilities, offices, cafes, retreats, and cinemas are popping up everywhere.
Off-Grid Living
With rising electricity prices and increasing blackouts due to high demand during heat waves, cold snaps, and more severe storms as our climate changes, people are increasingly looking for off-grid living options to gain energy independence. That way, they never have to worry about blackouts or high bills again.
For those looking for a whole home generator solution, the EcoFlow DELTA Pro 3 Generator (PV400W) starts at 4000W of output, plenty to power your essential appliances. Then, you can expand it with additional batteries and EcoFlow Rigid Solar Panels up to 48kWh, supplying almost any large, power-hungry home with enough electricity to go off-grid altogether.
Solar Appliances
We’ve had calculators and ovens powered by photovoltaics for decades, but more appliances are available daily. More advanced PV ovens, including those that can rapidly cook food for an entire family or more, are now available. Other photovoltaic products include flashlights, tents, keyboards, security cameras, speakers, umbrellas, and portable power stations like the EcoFlow DELTA Series Solar Generators, which can power any device or appliance that needs electricity.
Transportation
We’ve all heard of EVs (electric vehicles) by now, and increasingly, they are also being charged using home photovoltaic arrays, PV carports, and photovoltaic parking lots in large urban areas. We can also use them to power the appliances in our RVs and other tiny homes on wheels. PV-powered benches, bus stops, and streetlights are increasingly being installed in our cities. They’re also being used for street lights and road safety signs in off-grid locations without access to electricity to make them safer.
Home Beautification
Several products are available to beautify our homes, from solar-powered wind chimes, garden lights, and garden ornaments to bird feeders, water fountains, and outdoor irrigation systems.
Solar Wearables
It wasn’t all that long ago that “solar wearables” sounded like science fiction—but fiction no longer; they’re here and growing in popularity. Some things now available include watches, backpacks, Bluetooth headphones and earbuds, and bike helmets. Still in R&D, but coming soon are solar textiles—truly wearable photovoltaics built into the fabric that makes our clothing so we can wear our power generation to run our electronic devices throughout the day.
Frequently Asked Questions
California currently leads the nation in its adoption, installation, and production, followed by Texas. Then, Florida, North Carolina, and Arizona help fill the top five spots for photovoltaic energy use in the USA. These states benefit from abundant sunlight, strong incentives, and large-scale solar farms driving their renewable energy efforts.
Solar accounted for about 7% of all energy generation in the United States in 2024, with approximately 238,121 gigawatt-hours produced that same year. This is twice what it was in 2020. This rapid growth reflects advancements in solar technology, declining costs, and increased residential, commercial, and utility-scale solar installations.
Final Thoughts
Solar energy is more than just a trend—it’s a growing solution for sustainable and cost-effective power generation. While states like California, Texas, and Florida lead in photovoltaic adoption, its benefits are spreading nationwide. From residential and industrial use to off-grid living and wearable tech, photovoltaics are shaping the future of energy. As technology advances, products like EcoFlow DELTA Series Solar Generators make it easier than ever to harness clean energy from the sun to power any need, whether you’re running essential appliances or going entirely off-grid.