Solar installations in North Carolina
16,195 recorded installations — prices, growth by year, county breakdown and the installers doing the work.
Dataset updated . Sources: LBNL Tracking the Sun + city permit records + state programs + USGS/EIA utility-scale.
Most active
Top installers in North Carolina
| # | Installer | Installs in NC |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | NC SOLAR NOW INC | 763 |
| 2 | 8MSOLAR LLC (82456) | 461 |
| 3 | Blue Raven Solar | 361 |
| 4 | SOUTHERN ENERGY MANAGEMENT | 308 |
| 5 | Tesla Energy | 191 |
| 6 | Titan Solar Power NC Inc. | 146 |
| 7 | SOUTHERN EXPOSURE BUILDERS INC | 113 |
| 8 | 8MSolar | 106 |
| 9 | CONTR - BLUE RAVEN SOLAR LLC | 102 |
| 10 | Palmetto Solar | 88 |
| 11 | ION DEVELOPER LLC Lic | 86 |
| 12 | YES SOLAR SOLUTIONS | 85 |
| 13 | Power Home Solar | 83 |
| 14 | BRS Field Ops, LLC | 78 |
| 15 | CATE ASSOCIATES, INC., T/A | 71 |
Growth
Installations by year
New installs per year and the running cumulative total, plus % of homes with solar (ACS housing units).
By county
Solar by county in North Carolina
| County | Installs | % homes | Capacity | Median $/W |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wake County | 7,618 | 1.6% | 137.5 MW | $2.02/W |
| Mecklenburg County | 5,898 | 1.2% | 48.8 MW | $2.02/W |
| Durham County | 611 | 0.41% | 29.4 MW | $1.26/W |
| Chatham County | 149 | 0.43% | 47.0 MW | $2.02/W |
| Harnett County | 144 | 0.27% | 64.3 MW | — |
| Duplin County | 56 | 0.23% | 305.4 MW | — |
| Robeson County | 48 | 0.10% | 350.6 MW | $2.84/W |
| Johnston County | 32 | 0.04% | 101.4 MW | — |
| Sampson County | 32 | 0.12% | 223.6 MW | — |
| Nash County | 29 | 0.07% | 345.6 MW | — |
| Columbus County | 27 | 0.12% | 109.8 MW | $2.27/W |
| Wayne County | 25 | 0.05% | 126.7 MW | — |
| Montgomery County | 24 | 0.16% | 159.8 MW | — |
| Cleveland County | 22 | 0.05% | 108.5 MW | $2.30/W |
| Edgecombe County | 20 | 0.09% | 103.0 MW | — |
| Randolph County | 20 | 0.03% | 79.5 MW | — |
| Franklin County | 19 | 0.06% | 125.5 MW | $3.16/W |
| Halifax County | 19 | 0.08% | 174.5 MW | — |
| Rowan County | 19 | 0.03% | 158.3 MW | $4.08/W |
| Hertford County | 18 | 0.18% | 168.7 MW | $19.74/W |
| Cumberland County | 17 | 0.01% | 244.2 MW | — |
| Martin County | 17 | 0.15% | 139.2 MW | — |
| Northampton County | 16 | 0.15% | 86.8 MW | — |
| Pitt County | 16 | 0.02% | 181.1 MW | — |
| Scotland County | 16 | 0.11% | 183.0 MW | $1.63/W |
| Wilson County | 16 | 0.04% | 165.5 MW | $2.96/W |
| Rutherford County | 15 | 0.05% | 170.0 MW | — |
| Yadkin County | 15 | 0.09% | 183.5 MW | — |
| Bertie County | 13 | 0.14% | 85.4 MW | — |
| Bladen County | 13 | 0.09% | 138.2 MW | — |
| Granville County | 13 | 0.05% | 57.9 MW | $1.70/W |
| Lenoir County | 13 | 0.05% | 142.7 MW | $2.09/W |
| Alamance County | 12 | 0.02% | 60.2 MW | — |
| Catawba County | 12 | 0.02% | 123.4 MW | $1.88/W |
| Warren County | 12 | 0.10% | 281.7 MW | — |
| Cabarrus County | 11 | 0.01% | 134.5 MW | $1.86/W |
| Vance County | 11 | 0.06% | 69.4 MW | — |
| Beaufort County | 10 | 0.04% | 172.3 MW | $2.21/W |
| Craven County | 10 | 0.02% | 50.0 MW | $3.91/W |
| Moore County | 10 | 0.02% | 56.1 MW | — |
| Onslow County | 10 | 0.01% | 59.8 MW | — |
| Anson Countylimited | 9 | 0.09% | 42.9 MW | — |
| Person Countylimited | 9 | 0.05% | 36.5 MW | $1.86/W |
| Greene Countylimited | 8 | 0.10% | 22.8 MW | — |
| Lee Countylimited | 8 | 0.03% | 43.7 MW | — |
| Pender Countylimited | 8 | 0.03% | 38.6 MW | — |
| Richmond Countylimited | 8 | 0.04% | 92.8 MW | — |
| Rockingham Countylimited | 8 | 0.02% | 44.6 MW | $1.86/W |
| Cherokee Countylimited | 7 | 0.04% | 5.3 MW | $3.88/W |
| Currituck Countylimited | 7 | 0.04% | 236.2 MW | — |
| Guilford Countylimited | 7 | 0.00% | 27.5 MW | — |
| Hoke Countylimited | 7 | 0.03% | 41.8 MW | — |
| Jones Countylimited | 7 | 0.15% | 23.4 MW | — |
| Perquimans Countylimited | 7 | 0.10% | 55.8 MW | — |
| Davie Countylimited | 6 | 0.03% | 46.7 MW | $1.92/W |
| Gaston Countylimited | 6 | 0.01% | 86.5 MW | — |
| Surry Countylimited | 6 | 0.02% | 52.8 MW | $3.55/W |
| Caswell Countylimited | 5 | 0.05% | 29.8 MW | $1.85/W |
| Chowan Countylimited | 5 | 0.07% | 35.5 MW | — |
| Stanly Countylimited | 5 | 0.02% | 86.4 MW | — |
| Stokes Countylimited | 5 | 0.02% | 84.3 MW | — |
| Union Countylimited | 5 | 0.01% | 93.4 MW | $1.91/W |
| Iredell Countylimited | 4 | 0.01% | 13.4 MW | — |
| Washington Countylimited | 4 | 0.07% | 48.0 MW | $1.06/W |
| Buncombe Countylimited | 3 | 0.00% | 11.5 MW | — |
| Caldwell Countylimited | 3 | 0.01% | 17.2 MW | — |
| Davidson Countylimited | 3 | 0.00% | 10.1 MW | $14.23/W |
| Gates Countylimited | 3 | 0.06% | 20.5 MW | — |
| Henderson Countylimited | 3 | 0.01% | 7.7 MW | — |
| Lincoln Countylimited | 3 | 0.01% | 35.5 MW | $1.86/W |
| Alexander Countylimited | 2 | 0.01% | 8.0 MW | — |
| Brunswick Countylimited | 2 | 0.00% | 13.2 MW | — |
| Burke Countylimited | 2 | 0.01% | 9.5 MW | — |
| Camden Countylimited | 2 | 0.05% | 36.5 MW | — |
| Carteret Countylimited | 2 | 0.00% | 4 kW | — |
| Forsyth Countylimited | 2 | 0.00% | 9.1 MW | — |
| Orange Countylimited | 2 | 0.00% | 12.6 MW | $1.86/W |
| Pamlico Countylimited | 2 | 0.03% | 12.8 MW | — |
| Pasquotank Countylimited | 2 | 0.01% | 29.2 MW | — |
| Haywood Countylimited | 1 | 0.00% | 1.9 MW | — |
| Madison Countylimited | 1 | 0.01% | 2.7 MW | — |
| New Hanover Countylimited | 1 | 0.00% | 1.2 MW | — |
| Polk Countylimited | 1 | 0.01% | 2.8 MW | — |
| Wilkes Countylimited | 1 | 0.00% | 6 kW | — |
Counties derived from installation ZIP codes (Census ZCTA crosswalk) — approximate at boundaries. Counties marked limited have under 10 recorded installs, so their medians and penetration are indicative only. % homes = recorded installs ÷ housing units (U.S. Census ACS 5-Year, B25001).
Search every recorded North Carolina installation — by installer, size, date, storage and equipment.
Search NC sites →Hardware
Top solar equipment in North Carolina
| # | Panel manufacturer | Systems |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | kW PV | 208 |
| 2 | roof mounted | 117 |
| 3 | First Solar | 89 |
| 4 | roof | 88 |
| 5 | ground | 23 |
| 6 | kW | 19 |
| 7 | PV | 13 |
| 8 | ROOF | 11 |
| # | Inverter manufacturer | Systems |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tesla | 284 |
| 2 | Enphase | 116 |
| 3 | SolarEdge | 85 |
| 4 | tesla | 24 |
| 5 | ENPHASE | 17 |
| 6 | Generac | 9 |
From recorded equipment on North Carolina systems (Tracking the Sun + state/permit data); counts are systems where the manufacturer is known.
Developers
Top solar developers in North Carolina
| # | Developer | Systems |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8MSOLAR LLC (82456) | 442 |
| 2 | NC SOLAR NOW INC | 425 |
| 3 | NC SOLAR NOW INC. | 338 |
| 4 | SOUTHERN ENERGY MANAGEMENT | 308 |
| 5 | BLUE RAVEN SOLAR LLC | 265 |
| 6 | TESLA ENERGY OPERATIONS, INC. | 145 |
| 7 | Titan Solar Power NC Inc. | 120 |
| 8 | SOUTHERN EXPOSURE BUILDERS INC | 113 |
Developer/EPC named on the permit or program record — often the same firm as the installer.
Frequently asked questions
How many solar installations are there in North Carolina?
PanelCensus records 16,195 solar installations in North Carolina, totalling 12.8 GW of capacity — about 0.34% of the state's 4,815,195 housing units (U.S. Census ACS) — compiled from LBNL's Tracking the Sun, city permit records, state programs and USGS/EIA utility-scale data. (Coverage depends on what the state publishes, so actual totals are higher.)
How much does solar cost per watt in North Carolina?
The median installed price across priced systems in North Carolina is $2.02/W pre-incentive. Year-by-year medians are shown on this page.
Who are the biggest solar installers in North Carolina?
NC SOLAR NOW INC has the most recorded installations in North Carolina (763), followed by 8MSOLAR LLC (82456) (461).