by Jeff Yoders on DECEMBER 8, 2016

About 44% of all solar power that’s installed on residential rooftops, known as distributed solar capacity, is owned by private businesses, such as SolarCity, according to new government data.

Distributed solar capacity in the U.S., which includes all solar power capacity other than utility-scale installations 1 megawatts or larger, increased to 12.3 gigawatts as of September, according to new figures from the Energy Information Administration. In comparison, a cumulative 11.6 gw had been installed in the U.S. by the end of 2015.

According to the report, third-party owners own 44% of distributed solar capacity in the U.S. residential sector, compared with 11% in the commercial and industrial sectors. The residential sector accounts for 56% of distributed solar capacity but 84% of third-party-owned solar capacity. Nearly half of U.S. solar capacity is privately owned. However, panels owned by individual homeowners and businesses are expected to eclipse TPO as the largest owner-category in the next five years.

Like the Cleveland Browns losing, the sun rising or winter bringing cold weather and shorter days, the Renewables MMI didn’t move this month and held flat at 52 as it has for four straight months. That follows four years of relative flatness, too.

We’ve previously written about the relationship between manufacturers of crystalline silicon photovoltaic panels and incentives for solar expansion and this report highlights the cozy relationship between production and ownership. If, however, individuals, can really eclipse corporate owners like SolarCity in the next few years, it could be a watershed moment for solar power in the U.S. as lower costs are expected to finally make owningcheaper and better than leasing.

Could an ownership society push more adoption of solar? It’s hard to tell, but anything that increases demand, as falling prices generally do, would be welcome at this point.