“The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) routinely estimates the technical potential of specific renewable electricity generation technologies. These are technology-specific estimates of energy generation potential based on renewable resource availability and quality, technical system performance, topographic limitations, environmental, and land-use constraints only. The estimates do not consider (in most cases) economic or market constraints, and therefore do not represent a level of renewable generation that might actually deployed.

According to the report issued by NREL in July of this year, the total estimated annual technical potential in the United States fir urban utility- scale PVs, which are defined as a large-scale PV deployed within urban boundaries on urban open space, is 2,232 TWh. Texas and California have the highest estimated technical potential, a result of a combination of good solar resource and large population.

Rural utility-scale PVs, which are defined as large scale PVs deployed outside urban boundaries, leads all other technologies in technical potential. This is a result of relatively high power density, the absence of minimum resource threshold, and the availability of large swaths for development. Texas accounts for roughly 14% of the entire estimated US technical potential for utility-scale PV (280,613 TWh).

Total annual technical potential for rooftop PV is estimated for 818 TWh. States with the largest technical potential typically have the largest populations. California has the highest technical potential of 106 TWh due to the mix of high population and relatively good solar resource.”