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America’s top five solar energy States

Governor Bill Ritter’s plans for increasing Colorado’s solar energy industry is centered on creating more revenue and jobs for the state.

Is Your State One of the Solar Power Top 5?, Calfinder, 12 Jan 2011, Already leaders in the solar game, there are five states pushing to incorporate more renewable energy sources into their infrastructure: Arizona, California, Colorado, Massachusetts, and New York. Here’s how their state and local governments made it possible, and what to expect from these power states in 2011.

Arizona

……… Governor Jan Brewer hopes to continue the expansion into 2011 through tax incentives that have already proven wildly successful. In addition, the tireless work of solar superstar Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, as we wrote about here, helped propel Arizona into the clean economy spotlight.

California

When Governor Jerry Brown was elected to an office he already held from 1975-1983, he wanted to take Arnold Schwarzenegger’s clean energy plans to the next level. He has since set a goal that would provide California an additional 20,000 megawatts of solar energy by 2020.

Colorado

Governor Bill Ritter’s plans for increasing Colorado’s solar energy industry is centered on creating more revenue and jobs for the state. He hopes to increase the state’s renewable energy capacity by 20 percent—a move that would add $1.9 billion to the GDP and 4,000 new jobs.

Massachusetts

Governor Deval Patrick has already proven his dedication to solar energy by installing an additional 29.8 megawatts of solar energy capacity to the state, not to mention the incentive programs he created, like the 2008 Green Communities Act and the Commonwealth Solar Stimulus. His next goal is to install an additional 250 MG of solar capacity by 2017.

New York

In New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo plans to keep up with his solar energy success by moving forward with Power NY, a program that replaces old power plants with new ones; a renewable energy credits program; and increasing the state’s use of solar thermal technology.

Is Your State One of the Solar Power Top 5?

January 13, 2011 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | renewable, USA