Colorado solar installation & market data
The Colorado solar market at a glance.
Colorado has about 183,743 solar systems totalling 1.54 GW, as reported by its utilities through July 2026. 69 MW of residential solar was added in the trailing twelve months, down 11.2% on the twelve months before. 11.2% of owner-occupied homes have gone solar and 0.4% of solar customers have a battery. SolarDNA tracks 109,035 individual installations here, with a median residential cost of $4.35 per watt, from 0 installers.
Colorado's SolarDNA Market Score: 50 out of 100.
Colorado scores 50 out of 100 on SolarDNA's Market Score, a 0-to-100 scale benchmarked against every other state market. That is higher than 76% of U.S. states. Grade B (Great).
The score combines 5 subscores, each computed from observed market data:
- Velocity (39): trailing-12-month growth in solar added versus the prior twelve months, so accelerating markets score higher.
- Cost (45): median installed $/W relative to the national median (a cheaper market scores higher).
- Incentives (45): net-metering coverage, RECs a new system can earn, state tax credit, rebate program and tax exemptions (components listed below).
- Resource (35): annual solar irradiance, so the same system produces more where this score is high.
- Depth (99): proven demand: how many systems are already installed, with a bonus for markets that show adoption without being saturated.
Property and sales/use tax exemptions; utility incentives vary.
Federal: Federal residential credit (25D) ended for systems placed in service after Dec 31, 2025. Third-party-owned systems can still use the commercial credit (48E) through 2027 under construction-start rules.
State-level averages hide wide variation. Here's how to go deeper in the app:
- 1Narrow to a zip codeZip metrics give a far more accurate picture of the exact neighborhoods you are considering.
- 2Apply filtersFilter by score, growth, $/W, adoption and permits to reach the markets that actually match your model.
- 3Benchmark the installersSee who already wins there, how fast they are growing, and what they charge per watt.
How SolarDNA defines these metrics
Solar systems
Solar systems is the market-size figure: the systems utilities report on their lines, plus an estimate (sized from reported capacity) for systems outside net metering. It is current for every state.
How SolarDNA calculates solar systems →Tracked installations
Tracked installations are the individual residential, commercial and utility-scale systems SolarDNA holds a record for. SolarDNA de-duplicates the same system across records. Pricing, installers, equipment and every zip-level figure come from these records.
How SolarDNA calculates tracked installations →Median installed cost
Median installed cost is the middle price per watt (DC) that homeowners paid for a residential system in the trailing twelve months, before incentives. Quartiles show the spread.
How SolarDNA calculates median installed cost →Adoption rate
Adoption rate is the share of owner-occupied homes with a residential solar system. It measures how saturated a market is, not how fast it is growing.
How SolarDNA calculates adoption rate →12-month growth
For a state, growth compares the residential solar capacity added in the trailing twelve months with the twelve months before, from utility-reported totals with one-off reporting corrections smoothed out. For cities and zip codes it compares tracked installations.
How SolarDNA calculates 12-month growth →Battery share
Battery share is the portion of a state's solar customers whose system includes a battery, as reported by utilities.
How SolarDNA calculates battery share →Permits
Permits count the solar building permits filed in the last twelve months. They lead installations by several months, which makes them the earliest read on demand.
How SolarDNA calculates permits →Market Score
SolarDNA's Market Score grades each market from 0 to 100 on solar sales potential, weighing velocity, cost, incentives, solar resource and installer depth. Markets are benchmarked against every other market in the country, and the letter grade is set on a curve: A is the top 10% of markets, C the middle 40%, F the bottom 10%.
How SolarDNA calculates market score →See what a specific Colorado zip code looks like
Drop in any Colorado zip code and SolarDNA opens its market card: score, installs, median $/W, growth and permits, benchmarked against the state.
Dive deeper into the Colorado market
Market size & momentum
Systems, capacity, monthly additions, battery share and solar customers by utility.
- •How many solar systems are there in Colorado?
- •Is solar still growing in Colorado?
- •Which utility territories are adding the most?
Pricing & economics
Installed $/W, quartiles, system sizes and simple payback.
Growth & adoption
Installs by year, adoption, TAM penetration and battery attach.
Installers
The league table: volume, momentum, system size and pricing per installer.
- •Who installs the most in Colorado?
- •Which installers are growing fastest?
- •What do they charge per watt?
Utilities & incentives
Retail rates by utility, net metering, SREC value and the planned utility pipeline.
- •What are electricity rates in Colorado?
- •Which utilities offer net metering?
- •How big is the utility-scale pipeline?
How big Colorado's solar market is, and where it is heading
Totals reported by Colorado's utilities through July 2026 (latest months are preliminary)
Trailing-12-month residential capacity added carried forward at half the observed growth rate (capped at ±30%), with a ±10% band. Not a forecast of permits or policy.
Solar customers by utility in Colorado
Net-metered solar customers through July 2026
| Utility | Solar customers | Capacity | Added, 12 mo | Growth | With battery |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Service Co of Colorado | 129,404 | 1,033 MW | 8,169 | ▼ 6.0% | — |
| United Power, Inc | 13,529 | 83 MW | 301 | ▼ 65.9% | — |
| City of Colorado Springs - (CO) | 10,793 | 50 MW | 523 | ▼ 18.3% | 3.8% |
| CORE Electric Cooperative | 10,651 | 61 MW | 286 | ▼ 66.3% | — |
| Black Hills Colorado Electric, LLC | 10,413 | 103 MW | 567 | ▼ 42.7% | — |
| City of Fort Collins - (CO) | 4,685 | 35 MW | 429 | ▼ 0.5% | 7.7% |
| Poudre Valley REA, Inc | 2,520 | 21 MW | 160 | ▼ 29.1% | — |
| San Luis Valley R E C, Inc | 458 | 5 MW | 54 | — | — |
What solar costs in Colorado
Residential systems, trailing twelve months
How fast Colorado is going solar
From SolarDNA's installation records, which run through March 20, 2024; current momentum is in the market totals above
Top installers in Colorado
Ranked by installations in this state
| # | Installer | Installs | 12-mo | Avg kW | $/W |
|---|
Top zip markets in Colorado
Ranked by installations · click for the zip market
| Zip | Installs | $/W | Growth | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80016 Aurora | 3,731 | $3.90 | — | 53.1 A |
| 80013 Aurora | 3,178 | $4.48 | — | 50.3 B |
| 80238 Denver | 2,690 | $3.97 | — | 52.7 A |
| 80020 Broomfield | 2,310 | $4.35 | — | 50.9 A |
| 80249 Denver | 2,193 | $4.43 | — | 50.6 A |
| 80007 Arvada | 2,033 | $3.82 | — | 53.4 A |
| 80027 Louisville | 2,014 | $4.21 | — | 51.6 A |
| 80018 Aurora | 1,767 | $4.51 | — | 49 B |
| 80516 Erie | 1,764 | $3.60 | — | 53.3 A |
| 80304 Boulder | 1,760 | $4.50 | — | 49 B |
| 80026 Lafayette | 1,717 | $4.24 | — | 50 B |
| 80634 Greeley | 1,686 | $4.76 | — | 47.4 B |
| 80401 Golden | 1,676 | $4.35 | — | 49.3 B |
| 80239 Denver | 1,676 | $4.39 | — | 49.1 B |
| 80126 Littleton | 1,660 | $4.35 | — | 49.2 B |
Counties in Colorado
Zip markets grouped by county · click for the county market
| County | Zip markets | Installs |
|---|---|---|
| Jefferson County | 30 | 20,244 |
| Denver County | 38 | 19,363 |
| Arapahoe County | 18 | 17,851 |
| Boulder County | 22 | 13,008 |
| Adams County | 21 | 11,939 |
| Weld County | 26 | 8,028 |
| Douglas County | 12 | 7,229 |
| Mesa County | 13 | 5,208 |
| Larimer County | 15 | 1,831 |
| Garfield County | 6 | 971 |
| Summit County | 5 | 905 |
| Chaffee County | 2 | 398 |
Utilities and retail rates
Implied residential rate per utility
| Utility | Type | Res. customers | ¢/kWh | Net metering |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Service Co of Colorado | Investor Owned | 1,365,053 | 15.1 | ✓ |
| City of Colorado Springs - (CO) | Municipal | 216,771 | 14.4 | ✓ |
| CORE Electric Cooperative | Cooperative | 165,067 | 15.0 | ✓ |
| United Power, Inc | Cooperative | 101,502 | 15.8 | ✓ |
| Black Hills Colorado Electric, LLC | Investor Owned | 89,252 | 17.1 | ✓ |
| City of Fort Collins - (CO) | Municipal | 70,803 | 13.2 | ✓ |
| Mountain View Elec Assn, Inc | Cooperative | 59,789 | 15.5 | ✓ |
| Holy Cross Electric Assn, Inc | Cooperative | 49,982 | 12.0 | ✓ |
Other solar markets in Colorado
Three ways to slice Colorado's 109K installations
See how the market splits by sector, by battery attach and by installer, updated with every refresh.
See all breakdownsWhen demand peaks in Colorado
Quick answers about Colorado's market
🛡 Why trust SolarDNA data?
How many solar installations are there in Colorado?
How much does solar cost in Colorado?
Is the Colorado solar market growing?
What is the solar adoption rate in Colorado?
Is Colorado a good market for solar sales?
How many solar installers work in Colorado?
How many solar permits were filed in Colorado?
How current is Colorado's solar data?
There's a lot more inside the SolarDNA app.
- ◇Zip and city market pages
- ◇Installer league tables
- ◇Territory builder
- ◇Solarizer deal estimates
- ◇Permit activity where reported
- ◇Export the data