Summary

This monthly report tracks the growth of U.S. net metering customers, capacity (MW), and total MWh sold back to the grid. Analysis is provided by state, utility, third party operator (TPO), technology, and customer type. Non-net metering distributed generators and capacity are also covered in this report for the U.S., by state and utility.

Source

Analysis and data for this report was done by Zpryme using the U.S. EIA form 861M detailed data.

Net Metering Trends Through March 2021

• In March 2021, U.S. net metering capacity reached 26,619 MW. This represents an 18.3% increase in capacity compared to March 2020. Residential, commercial, and industrial customers accounted for 58.8%, 33.5%, and 7.7% of net metering capacity, respectively, at the end of March 2021.

• In March 2021, U.S. net metering customers reached 2.77 million. This represents an 15.9% increase in customers compared to March 2020. Residential, commercial, and industrial customers accounted for 96.1%, 3.6%, and 0.3% of net metering customers, respectively, at the end of March 2021.

• Solar/PV was the primary technology source (about 98%) for both capacity and type of customers.

• From January to March 2021, cumulative net metering energy sold back totaled 482,403 MWh. This is a 29.9% decrease over the same time period in 2020. In March 2021, residential, commercial, and industrial customers accounted for 63.3%, 35.3%, and 1.4% of net metering energy sold back, respectively.

• In March 2021, the top 5 states by total net metering capacity were California (11,266 MW), Massachusetts (2,308 MW), New York (2,279 MW), New Jersey, (2,205 MW), and Arizona (1,787 MW). California accounts for 45.8% of all net metering customers in the U.S.

• In March 2021, the top 5 states by total net metering customers were California (1,268,393), Arizona (190,961), New York (149,745), New Jersey, (137,086), and Massachusetts (113,846). California accounts for 38.0% of net metering capacity in the U.S.

• In March 2021, the top 5 states by total net metering energy sold back were Arizona (48,655 MWh), Florida (48,484 MWh), Massachusetts (39,228 MWh), California (21,794 MWh), and South Carolina (9,797 MWh).

• In March 2021, the top 5 utilities by total net metering capacity were PGE (5,402 MW), SCE (3,300 MW), SDG&E (1,480 MW), APS (1,300 MW), and Eversource (1,162 MW).

• In March 2021, the top 5 utilities by total net metering customers were PG&E (553,762), SCE (399,683), SDG&E (212,735), APS (122,016), and PacifiCorp (61,772).

• In March 2021, the top 5 utilities by total net metering energy sold back were Eversource (37,181 MWh), Tucson Electric Power (31,472 MWh), Duke Energy Florida (25,758 MWh), LADWP (21,192 MWh), and FPL (15,718 MWh).

• In March 2021, the top 5 third party owners (TPO) by capacity were Sunrun (3.093 MW), SolarCity (2,691 MW), Sunnova (843 MW), SunPower (615 MW), and Spruce Finance (233 MW).

Non-Net Metering Trends Through March 2021

• In March 2021, U.S. non-net metering capacity reached 3,295 MW. This represents a 17.5% increase in capacity compared to March 2020. Residential, commercial, and industrial customers accounted for 22.9%, 56.0%, and 11.7% of net metering capacity, respectively, at the end of March 2021. The remaining 9.4% was from direct connected non-metering generators.

• From March 2020 to March 2021, solar/PV non-net metering capacity increased by 27.3%, from 1,537 to 1,957, respectively. In March 2021, solar/PV accounted for 59.4% of all non-net metering U.S. capacity.

• In March 2021, U.S. non-net metering distributed generators reached 267,505. This represents a 12.3% increase in generators compared to March 2020.

• In March 2021, the top 5 states by total non-net metering capacity were Texas (716 MW), California (506 MW), Florida (285 MW), Georgia (277 MW), and Hawaii (280 MW).

• In March 2021, the top 5 states by total non-net metering generators were New Jersey (167,091 MW), Texas (67,363 MW), Hawaii (6,032 MW), Rhode Island, (4,511 MW), and Illinois (3,404 MW).

• In March 2021, the top 5 utilities by total non-net metering capacity were Oncor (421 MW),Georgia Power (265 MW), SCE (240 MW), FPL (208 MW), and PG&E (161 MW).

• In March 2021, the top 5 utilities by total non-net metering generators were PSE&G (167,086 MW), Oncor (44,534 MW), CenterPoint Energy (13,756 MW), AEP Texas (6,657 MW), and National Grid Rhode Island (4,511 MW).