The U.S. Large-Scale Solar Photovoltaic Database (USPVDB)
A publicly available, spatially referenced, national dataset of 3,699 solar facilities covering 47 states (plus the District of Columbia)
The USPVDB Viewer
Visualize, interact, and download the U.S. Large-Scale Solar Photovoltaic Database
The United States Large-Scale Solar Photovoltaic Database (USPVDB) provides the locations and array boundaries of U.S. ground-mounted photovoltaic (PV) facilities with capacity of 1 megawatt or more. It includes corresponding PV facility information, including panel type, site type, and initial year of operation. The creation of this database was jointly funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) via the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) Electricity Markets and Policy Group, and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Energy Resources Program. The PV facility records are collected from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), position-verified and digitized from aerial imagery, and checked for quality. EIA facility data are supplemented with additional attributes obtained from public sources.
About the Database
In 2020, LBNL and USGS began collaborating on development of the United States Large-Scale Solar Photovoltaic Database (USPVDB) to create an accurate, comprehensive, and publicly accessible national large-scale PV database of large-scale PV facilities that includes estimates of the total footprint (i.e., facility size based on array boundaries) of each facility. This work builds on expertise developed through the creation and maintenance of the U.S. Wind Turbine Database (USWTDB) since 2016.
The data may be used by government agencies, scientists, private companies, and other stakeholders for a variety of analyses. Examples include operational impact analyses related to the role of solar energy in the U.S. electric grid, interactions between PV facilities and the natural environment, and investments in PV infrastructure.
With the release of this public version, we hope researchers and other interested parties around the world will use the data to further their efforts. If you have feedback or want to let us know how you are using the data, send us a note.
The database combines datasets from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The locations and array boundaries of all facilities were visually verified and digitized to within 10 meters using high-resolution aerial imagery.
USPVDB Viewer
The USPVDB Viewer, created by the USGS Energy Resources Program, allows users to visualize, inspect, interact, and download the most current USPVDB through a dynamic web application. Data-driven styling and dynamic filtering capabilities allow users to access USPVDB information quickly and more efficiently. Feedback continues to be important to us so don't hesitate to let us know what you'd like to see in future releases.
Our Partners
The creation of this database was jointly funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) via the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) Electricity Markets and Policy Group and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Energy Resources Program. The database is continuously updated through collaboration among LBNL and USGS.
The United States Large-Scale Solar Photovoltaic Database (USPVDB) provides the locations and array boundaries of U.S. ground-mounted photovoltaic (PV) facilities with capacity of 1 megawatt or more. It includes corresponding PV facility information, including panel type, site type, and initial year of operation. The creation of this database was jointly funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) via the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) Electricity Markets and Policy Group, and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Energy Resources Program. The PV facility records are collected from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), position-verified and digitized from aerial imagery, and checked for quality. EIA facility data are supplemented with additional attributes obtained from public sources.
About the Database
In 2020, LBNL and USGS began collaborating on development of the United States Large-Scale Solar Photovoltaic Database (USPVDB) to create an accurate, comprehensive, and publicly accessible national large-scale PV database of large-scale PV facilities that includes estimates of the total footprint (i.e., facility size based on array boundaries) of each facility. This work builds on expertise developed through the creation and maintenance of the U.S. Wind Turbine Database (USWTDB) since 2016.
The data may be used by government agencies, scientists, private companies, and other stakeholders for a variety of analyses. Examples include operational impact analyses related to the role of solar energy in the U.S. electric grid, interactions between PV facilities and the natural environment, and investments in PV infrastructure.
With the release of this public version, we hope researchers and other interested parties around the world will use the data to further their efforts. If you have feedback or want to let us know how you are using the data, send us a note.
The database combines datasets from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The locations and array boundaries of all facilities were visually verified and digitized to within 10 meters using high-resolution aerial imagery.
USPVDB Viewer
The USPVDB Viewer, created by the USGS Energy Resources Program, allows users to visualize, inspect, interact, and download the most current USPVDB through a dynamic web application. Data-driven styling and dynamic filtering capabilities allow users to access USPVDB information quickly and more efficiently. Feedback continues to be important to us so don't hesitate to let us know what you'd like to see in future releases.
Our Partners
The creation of this database was jointly funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) via the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) Electricity Markets and Policy Group and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Energy Resources Program. The database is continuously updated through collaboration among LBNL and USGS.