New York’s state-supported solar power surged up 795% over five years.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo yesterday revealed the staggering growth witnessed from December 2011 to December 2016, which leveraged nearly $1.5 billion (£1.2bn) in private investment.

The number of solar power projects soared from 8,989 at the end of 2011 to 64,926 by the last days of 2016.

These installations now provide a combined capacity of 744MW –  enough electricity to meet the needs of more than 121,000 households.

The boom has been attributed to a number of factors, including incentive programmes, declining solar equipment prices and growth in the number of businesses marketing directly to consumers.

In addition to the new installations, a further 886MW of solar power was under development in New York State at the end of last year.

New York now has more than 8,000 workers engaged in solar jobs.

Governor Cuomo said: “New York is a national leader in clean energy and the tremendous growth of the solar industry across this state demonstrates this renewable technology’s increased accessibility and affordability for residents and businesses.

“Our investments in this clean energy resource create jobs, reduce carbon emissions, support economic growth and help build a cleaner, greener New York for all.”

Solar growth is critical to the governor’s Clean Energy Standard, which dictates half of New York’s power must come from renewable sources by 2030.

New York State is to provide $360 million (£295.5m) for 11 new renewable projects.