Albuquerque is among the top 10 U.S. cities in installed solar capacity, according to a new report from the Environment America Research and Policy Center, which surveyed 66 cities nationwide.
The “Shining Cities” report ranked Albuquerque as the 9th top solar-powered city in the U.S., beating out Las Vegas, Nevada, and San Francisco for the spot. Albuquerque was even named a “solar star” in the report for being a city with 50 or more watts of installed solar photovoltaic capacity per person.
Albuquerque city councilors recently announced the first phase of a plan to power city-owned buildings with 25 percent solar energy by 2025 that includes installing over $25 million of solar projects.
The two cities Albuquerque beat also have strong records when it comes to renewable energy. Las Vegas’ government receives 100 percent of its energy needs from renewable sources. In 2016, San Francisco became the first major U.S. city to require solar energy systems be installed during the construction of new buildings.
Albuquerque was also cited as a city that has experienced dramatic growth in solar energy, rising to No. 5 this year for per capita solar photovoltaic energy capacity from No. 16 four years ago. The report states Albuquerque has 146 watts per capita of installed solar photovoltaic energy.
The report showed the U.S. now has 42 gigawatts of solar photovoltaic energy capacity, enough to power 8.3 million homes.
Leave A Comment