Solar and Wind Lead U.S. Power Generation Additions in Second-Half 2022

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--The U.S. added 15 gigawatts (GW) of new utility-scale power generation capacity in the first half of the year, and could add another 29.4 GW in the second half, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Nearly half of the planned capacity is attributed to solar power (13.6 GW), followed by wind (6 GW). Industrial Info is tracking about $22 billion worth of solar and wind generation projects in the U.S. that are set to wrap up in the second half of 2022, about $7.7 billion of which is located in Texas.

Click on the image at right for an EIA graph showing utility-scale operating and planned power-generation capacity additions in 2022, broken out by solar, wind, natural gas and battery storage.

However, the EIA's forecast of 17.8 GW of new solar capacity planned to come online in 2022 is 3.7 GW less than what was projected at the beginning of the year, likely due to "pandemic-related challenges in supply chains and a U.S. Department of Commerce tariff investigation." For more information on the investigation, see May 18, 2022, article - Commerce Department Probe Shakes Up U.S. Solar Industry.

In Texas, three major solar generation projects are expected to be completed in the fourth quarter:

• The $536 million Fighting Jay Solar Plant in Fort Bend County, southwest of Houston, will generate 350 megawatts (MW) of solar power. The facility, owned by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (Copenhagen, Denmark), will use 1 million solar cells.
• Meanwhile, Intersect Power's (San Francisco, California) 415-MW, $500 million Radian Photovoltaic (PV) Solar Farm in Brookesmith, west of Waco, will utilize thin-firm PV solar modules.
• RWE Renewables Americas LLC's (San Francisco, California) $450 million Bright Arrow PV Solar plant in Sulphur Springs, northeast of Dallas, will generate 305 MW of solar power by utilizing 860,000 PV panels from Jinko Solar (NYSE:JKS) (Shanghai, China).

Outside of Texas, the renewable arm of NextEra Energy Incorporated (NYSE:NEE), NextEra Energy Resources, is finishing up construction of the $730 million Clearwater Energy Windfarm in Forsyth, Montana. The project will use more than 130 2.5-MW and 2.8-MW wind turbines from General Electric Company (NYSE:GE) (Boston, Massachusetts) to generate 365 MW. Construction kicked off in early 2021 and is expected to be completed in September. Click here for the detailed project report.

Back in the Lone Star State, a subsidiary of Enel Green Power North America (Andover, Massachusetts) is expected to complete a solar-plus-battery storage project at the Mustang Creek PV Solar Plant in Ganado, Texas, southeast of Houston, in the fourth quarter. It will include a 71.78-MW battery energy-storage system.

Click here for a look at all of the projects discussed in this article and here for the plant profiles.

Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI database can click here for a full list of detailed project reports.

Among the 15 GW of power generation capacity that came online in first-half 2022, wind generation accounted for 34% of the share, more than 40% of which is located in Texas. The EIA noted the three largest renewable projects that came online: the 999-MW Traverse Wind Project in Oklahoma, 492-MW Maverick Creek Windfarm in Texas and the 440-MW Slate solar-plus-battery storage project in California. Click here for the related project reports.

But despite the positive figures from the EIA, there are obstacles that threaten the growth of solar and wind generation capacity and other renewable energy projects in the U.S., according to Britt Burt, Industrial Info's vice president of research for the global power industry. For more information, see May 20, 2022, article - Mid-Year Outlook: Renewable Energy Faces Greater Hurdles.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the world's leading provider of market intelligence across the upstream, midstream and downstream energy markets and all other major industrial markets. IIR's Global Market Intelligence Platform (GMI) supports our end-users across their core businesses, and helps them connect trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated project opportunities. Follow IIR on: LinkedIn.