Mexico Distributed Generation Up 9.4% on Rooftop Solar

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes · Last updated: 13 November 2026

Mexico distributed generation grew 9.4% in the first six months of 2026 and reached 5,675 megawatts of cumulative installed capacity, according to the National Energy Commission (CNE). Solar panels on homes and commercial buildings account for almost all of it. Photovoltaic systems make up 5,640 MW, more than 99.5% of the capacity registered under the CNE scheme. Between January and June, users added 485.76 MW through 54,766 new contracts. Distributed generation means power produced by small installations at or close to the place that uses it, instead of at a large central plant connected by long transmission lines. Jalisco, Nuevo León and Chihuahua hold about a third of the national total. Jalisco leads, and it has built a state energy plan around that position.

Every photovoltaic system installed in Jalisco frees up grid capacity, strengthens the supply chain, generates savings for families and businesses and reduces emissions.

Manuel Herrera Vega, head of the Jalisco Ministry of Energy and Sustainable Development, to El Economista

How 485.76 MW of New Capacity Lifted Mexico to 5,675 MW

The half-year additions account for the growth rate. Take the 485.76 MW installed in the first six months away from the 5,675 MW total and roughly 5,189 MW remains as the starting base. The new capacity equals about 9.4% of that base, which agrees with the CNE's headline figure.

The contract count shows how small each installation is. Spread across 54,766 contracts, the 485.76 MW works out to under one-hundredth of a megawatt per contract on average. That is the size of a system on a house, a shop or an office roof, not a solar farm.

Solar's share is close to total. Photovoltaics supply 5,640 MW of the 5,675 MW, which leaves about 35 MW for every other distributed technology combined. In practice, Mexico's distributed generation market is a solar market, and its growth follows the uptake of panels on private roofs.

Why Generating Power Next to the Meter Eases the National Grid

The case for distributed systems rests on location. A modular solar array on the building that consumes its output does not need a large centralized power station or long-distance transmission lines to deliver electricity. Every kilowatt-hour produced on site is one the national grid does not have to carry.

Supporters connect this to Mexico's move toward cleaner energy. Manuel Herrera Vega, head of the Jalisco Ministry of Energy and Sustainable Development, argues that each photovoltaic system installed in his state frees up grid capacity, cuts emissions and saves money for households and businesses.

The CNE's half-year figures measure installed capacity. They do not show how much electricity these systems actually produced, or how much load they removed from the network at peak hours. Those output and grid-relief numbers would show whether the benefits match what the installation count suggests, and they remain open.

What US $14.58 Billion Has Bought, and What the CNE Claims for It

Cumulative investment in distributed generation stood at US $14.58 billion at the end of June 2026. Divided across the 5,675 MW in place, that is about $2.57 million per megawatt. The figure is cumulative, so it covers systems bought over many years at different equipment prices, not today's cost of a new installation.

The commission presents the spending as a vote of confidence. "These investments reflect user confidence in these technologies and drive economic development, the creation of specialized jobs and the strengthening of supply chains linked to clean energy and high-value-added technologies," the CNE stated.

These are claims by the regulator, and the released figures do not include a job count or a supply-chain measure to support them. The investment total and the contract numbers are measured data. The economic benefits are the CNE's own interpretation of those data.

Three States Hold a Third of the Capacity, With Jalisco Ahead

Distributed capacity is concentrated geographically. Jalisco leads with 808.58 MW, followed by Nuevo León with 596.22 MW and Chihuahua with 424.85 MW. Together they hold about 1,830 MW, or 32% of the national total.

Growth is not limited to those three. The CNE data show expansion in Guanajuato, Coahuila, México state, Sonora and Yucatán, a group that runs from the northern border to the Yucatán peninsula. The remaining 68% of capacity is spread across the rest of the country.

Jalisco has given its lead a target. The state expects its distributed generation to pass 1,000 MW by 2030, as first reported by El Economista, which would require roughly 191 MW beyond today's 808.58 MW. The target sits inside Jalisco's Sustainable Energy Development Plan. That plan aims for the state to produce energy equal to or greater than its own consumption by 2030, with clean sources supplying 60% of it, up from 42% today.

What could speed or slow the expansion

The bottom line

Mexico's distributed generation story in 2026 is a story about small rooftop solar systems. The CNE's figures show 485.76 MW added in six months, 54,766 new contracts and photovoltaics making up all but about 35 MW of the 5,675 MW total. Cumulative investment of US $14.58 billion shows the money has been real. The claimed returns in jobs and supply chains are still the regulator's assertion. The geography is concentrated, with a third of capacity in three states, and Jalisco has set its 2030 energy plan on extending its lead. What the data cannot yet show is how much load these panels take off the national grid. The second-half numbers will test whether the pace holds.

What to watch

• Watch for the CNE's distributed generation figures covering the second half of 2026, which will show whether the first-half pace held; no release date has been set.
• Watch whether Jalisco closes the roughly 191 MW gap to its 1,000 MW goal before its 2030 deadline, along with its target of 60% clean energy that year.