4 Nevada cities ranked among fastest growing for solar

CARSON CITY — Four of Nevada’s largest cities: Reno, North Las Vegas, Henderson and Las Vegas placed in the top 20 fastest growing cities for rooftop solar installations in 2015, according to a new analysis by the data delivery company BuildFax.

In its first annual ranking of fastest growing US cities for solar activity, the four cities placed first, second, third and sixth, respectively.

But that performance, based on the change in activity between 2014 and 2015, is unlikely to be repeated in Nevada next year.

Rooftop solar activity in Nevada has come to a virtual standstill after state utility regulators approved new, less favorable rates for rooftop solar customers of NV Energy, which operates as Nevada Power in Southern Nevada. Those new rates took effect Jan. 1.

El Paso and Baltimore ranked fourth and fifth. Sacramento, Dallas, Stockton, Calif., and Fort Worth, Texas rounded out the top 10.

Solar activity across the nation increased by 29 percent between 2014 and 2015 alone, and has increased by more than 300 percent since 2010, the company reported Friday.

“It’s so exciting to see this uptick in solar activity,” said Holly Tachovsky, CEO at BuildFax. “Especially because it’s fueled by technology, passionate people, and green initiatives. We have a unique vantage point, this sort of bird’s eye view of building permits as they’re filed across the country. So we notice these trends, especially in these emerging fields.”

“It’s great to see the ongoing strength in the solar PV market,” said Michael Herzig, president and founder of Locus Energy. “From my perspective, however, what is even more amazing is how quickly this has happened. The global solar market has grown in 10 short years from 2.6 gigawatts deployed in 2007 to an estimated 67 gigawatts in 2016.”

Contact Sean Whaley at swhaley@reviewjournal.com or 775-461-3820. Find him on Twitter: @seanw801