Ranking America's major cities by solar potential, using real irradiance data from NREL's Solar Resource API.
DNI measures direct beam sunlight — the most important metric for solar electricity generation. High elevation and dry air boost DNI significantly.
Ahead of San Diego, LA, Miami, Houston, Chicago, and Seattle. Only the desert Southwest beats it.
Denver gets 21% more direct beam sunlight than Miami. Humidity and clouds scatter Miami's solar radiation significantly.
Denver beats LA in DNI by 7%. Mile-high altitude and dry air more than compensate for higher latitude.
Denver gets 75% more direct sunlight than Seattle. Completely different league for solar production.
Above ~15% of Earth's atmosphere. Less air = less scattering = more direct beam energy hitting panels.
Panels lose ~0.4%/°C above 25°C. Phoenix hits 115°F; Denver rarely exceeds 90°F. Cooler panels produce more per unit of sunlight.