California has become the first state in the nation to install 1,000MW of rooftop solar capacity, reaching that mark last year.
More than 122,000 sites across the state now host on-site solar generation, according to an annual review of the California Solar Initiative released by the state Public Utilities Commission (PUC) on 3 July.
“California's solar success is unmatched in the nation,” commission president Michael Peevey said.
According to the report, 311MW of new capacity was installed last year across the service territories of the state's investor-owned utilities. The pace of new installations has picked up as the cost of residential solar systems has dropped by 28pc since 2007.
More than 1,200MW is in place, including installations completed so far this year, according to a program web site maintained by the PUC and California Energy Commission. The California Independent System Operator on 2 July said the state grid hit a new peak for solar generation of 965MW.
The solar initiative was launched in 2007 with the goal of installing 3,000MW of new solar by the end of 2016. The program has a $2.4bn budget and provides incentives to encourage installation of residential and commercial rooftop solar systems.