73% of New US Solar Is in Trump States — The Numbers They Don't Report

The media narrative: solar energy is a blue-state coastal elite phenomenon.

The SEIA data: 73% of new US solar capacity in 2023 was installed in states that voted for Donald Trump in 2020.

Texas didn’t get that memo. Neither did Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, or Arizona.

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The State-by-State Breakdown

The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) publishes quarterly state market data. The numbers aren’t close:

Top solar states by installed capacity additions (SEIA 2023):

State	2020 Vote	New Capacity Added
Texas	Trump	#1 in the nation
California	Biden	Top 5
Florida	Trump	Top 5
North Carolina	Trump	Top 10
Georgia	Biden (narrow)	Top 10
Arizona	Biden (narrow)	Top 10
Nevada	Biden	Top 15

Texas alone accounts for more new solar capacity than most blue states combined. Florida, which has been consistently Republican in statewide elections, is one of the top residential solar markets in the country.

Source: SEIA state solar market data. Verify current rankings at seia.org.

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Why Red States Lead

Three structural reasons that have nothing to do with politics:

1. Sunshine

Texas, Florida, Arizona, and the Southeast have excellent solar resources — consistently high peak sun hours that make the economics better than in cloudier Northern states. This is physics, not politics.

2. High electricity rates + high consumption

The South and Southwest have hot climates with high air conditioning loads. High consumption + rising rates = strong financial case for solar. Texas deregulated its electricity market, creating retail competition — and Texas homeowners are more attuned to their electricity costs than most.

3. Property rights culture

Red states have traditionally had stronger property rights cultures and less regulatory friction for solar installation. HOA restriction laws are robust in Florida, Arizona, and Texas.

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The Manufacturing Is Coming Too

It’s not just installation. American solar manufacturing is concentrating in red states:

• Q CELLS Georgia: 3,000+ jobs in Dalton, Georgia — the largest solar panel factory in the Western Hemisphere
• First Solar Ohio: Manufacturing expansion in the heartland
• Texas and Arizona: Inverter and balance-of-system manufacturing

The Inflation Reduction Act’s domestic content incentives are driving manufacturing investment to states with available industrial land and workforce — which skews toward red states.

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What This Means

The framing of solar as a left-wing issue serves one master: the utility monopoly.

When Republican voters see solar as “Democrat stuff,” they don’t go solar — and the monopoly keeps collecting $150/month from them forever. The utility industry has spent millions reinforcing this narrative through lobbying and messaging.

The SEIA data exposes it. Red states are leading the solar revolution because the economics are right, the sunshine is there, and American homeowners who believe in property rights and self-reliance are running the numbers.

Texas is #1 in new solar capacity. Texas didn’t vote for that by accident.