Affordable Rooftop Solar in the United States

Rooftop solar costs in the US have nearly halved since 2007, with projections suggesting that by 2017, more than half of US states could have rooftop solar as cheap as grid electricity without state or local incentives. The number of US homes with rooftop solar grew from 30,000 in 2006 to nearly 400,000 by 2013, with future projections ranging from 1 million by 2020 (EIA) to nearly 4 million (DOE) depending on cost reductions.

• The cost of installing an average-sized rooftop solar system has decreased by nearly 50% since 2007. In leading states, a 5 kilowatt system may cost homeowners under $10,000 after accounting for rebates, tax credits, and other support.
• Projections indicate that by 2017, over 50% of U.S. states could have rooftop solar power that is cost-competitive with grid electricity, even in the absence of state and local incentives.
• The adoption of rooftop solar in the U.S. increased from approximately 30,000 homes in 2006 to nearly 400,000 by 2013. Future estimates for 2020 vary between the U.S. Energy Information Administration's projection of almost 1 million homes and the U.S. Department of Energy's projection of nearly 4 million homes, contingent on significant cost reductions.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2014). Affordable Rooftop Solar in the United States. https://www.ucs.org/resources/infographic-affordable-rooftop-solar-united-states

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Affordable Rooftop Solar in the United States. 2014. https://www.ucs.org/resources/infographic-affordable-rooftop-solar-united-states.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Affordable Rooftop Solar in the United States |date=9 September 2014 |url=https://www.ucs.org/resources/infographic-affordable-rooftop-solar-united-states |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2014affordable, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Affordable Rooftop Solar in the United States}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2014}, month = sep, url = {https://www.ucs.org/resources/infographic-affordable-rooftop-solar-united-states}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }