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 April 2021

• In April 2021, U.S. net metering capacity reached 26,891 MW. This represents an 17.9% increase in capacity compared to April 2020. Residential, commercial, and industrial customers accounted for 59.2%, 33.2%, and 7.6% of net metering capacity, respectively, at the end of April 2021.

• In April 2021, U.S. net metering customers reached 2.81 million. This represents an 16.4% increase in customers compared to April 2020. Residential, commercial, and industrial customers accounted for 96.1%, 3.6%, and 0.3% of net metering customers, respectively, at the end of April 2021.

• Solar/PV was the primary technology source (about 97%) for both capacity and type of customers.

• From January to April 2021, cumulative net metering energy sold back totaled 755,614 MWh. This is a 20.9% decrease over the same time period in 2020. In April 2021, residential, commercial, and industrial customers accounted for 57.9%, 41.1%, and 1.1% of net metering energy sold back, respectively.

• In April 2021, the top 5 states by total net metering capacity were California (11,444 MW), New York (2,304 MW), New Jersey, (2,222 MW), Massachusetts (2,221 MW), and Arizona (1,811 MW). California accounts for 38.3% of all net metering capacity in the U.S.

• In April 2021, the top 5 states by total net metering customers were California (1,289,342), Arizona (193,827), New York (151,239), New Jersey, (138,462), and Massachusetts (113,962). California accounts for 45.9% of net metering customers in the U.S.

• In April 2021, the top 5 states by total net metering energy sold back were Arizona (51,822 MWh), Florida (54,358 MWh), Massachusetts (71,353 MWh), California (25,696 MWh), and Connecticut (14,007 MWh).

• In April 2021, the top 5 utilities by total net metering capacity were PGE (5,463 MW), SCE (3,332 MW), SDG&E (1,492 MW), APS (1,316 MW), and National Grid Massachusetts (1,091 MW).

• In April 2021, the top 5 utilities by total net metering customers were PG&E (560,020), SCE (403,834), SDG&E (214,598), APS (123,597), and PacifiCorp (62,696).

• In April 2021, the top 5 utilities by total net metering energy sold back were Eversource (69,139 MWh), Tucson Electric Power (33,206 MWh), Duke Energy Florida (28,002 MWh), LADWP (24,755 MWh), and FPL (18,597 MWh).

• In April 2021, the top 5 third party owners (TPO) by capacity were Sunrun (3,136 MW), SolarCity (2,691 MW), Sunnova (869 MW), SunPower (619 MW), and Spruce Finance (233 MW).

Non-Net Metering Trends Through April 2021

• In April 2021, U.S. non-net metering capacity reached 3,348 MW. This represents a 17.6% increase in capacity compared to April 2020. Residential, commercial, and industrial customers accounted for 22.3%, 55.8%, and 11.6% of net metering capacity, respectively, at the end of April 2021. The remaining 9.4% was from direct connected non-metering generators.

• From April 2020 to April 2021, solar/PV non-net metering capacity increased by 27.8%, from 1,566 to 2,002, respectively. In April 2021, solar/PV accounted for 59.8% of all non-net metering U.S. capacity.

• In April 2021, U.S. non-net metering distributed generators reached 271,216. This represents a 12.9% increase in generators compared to April 2020.

• In April 2021, the top 5 states by total non-net metering capacity were Texas (738 MW), California (507 MW), Florida (285 MW), Georgia (278 MW), and Hawaii (212 MW).

• In April 2021, the top 5 states by total non-net metering generators were New Jersey (166,982), Texas (69,765), Hawaii (6,218), Rhode Island, (4,570), and Illinois (3,652).

• In April 2021, the top 5 utilities by total non-net metering capacity were Oncor (437 MW),Georgia Power (266 MW), SCE (241 MW), FPL (208 MW), and PG&E (162 MW).

• In April 2021, the top 5 utilities by total non-net metering generators were PSE&G (166,977), Oncor (46,085), CenterPoint Energy (14,251), AEP Texas (6,876), and National Grid Rhode Island (4,570).