A new report from the Environment America Research & Policy Center titled "Lighting the Way: What We Can Learn from America’s Top 12 Solar States" does a pretty fantastic job highlighting the solar energy boom across the country.

Here are the top 12 solar states ranked by per capita solar: Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii, New Jersey, New Mexico, California, Delaware, Colorado, Vermont, Massachusetts, North Carolina and Maryland.

C'mon Washington. Step up to keep your rep up. 

According to the report, states with more homeowners and businesses “going solar” share these strong policies:

-Eleven of the 12 leading states have strong net metering policies, which allow customers to offset their electric bills with onsite solar and receive reliable and fair compensation for the excess electricity they provide to the grid.

-Eleven of the 12 states have renewable electricity standards, requiring utilities to provide a minimum amount of their power from renewable sources; and nine of them have solar carve outs, which set specific targets for solar or other forms of clean onsite power.

-Ten of the 12 have strong statewide interconnection policies. Interconnection policies reduce the time and hassle required for individuals and companies to connect solar energy systems to the grid.

-The majority of the top solar states allow for creative financing options such as third-party power purchase agreements and property assessed clean energy, also known as PACE, financing.

Strong commitment shows among the elected officials of leading solar states.

Read the rest over at EcoWatch. 

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