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Released September 08, 2021 | SUGAR LAND
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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Shipments of solar photovoltaic (PV) modules (solar panels) in the U.S were up 33% last year, caused in part by greater demand for residential installations due to a spike in home improvement projects amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Expiring solar tax credits, continued growth in utility-scale solar capacity and a drop in costs for solar systems also factored into the increase. The shipments include imports, exports and modules produced and sold domestically.
Industrial Info is tracking more than $20 billion in solar energy projects under construction in the U.S. Industrial Info does not track rooftop or residential installations, but strictly utility-scale projects. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Power Project Database can click here for a full list of detailed project reports.
The increase comes as the Biden administration strives to increase domestic solar panel-manufacturing capacity, which the U.S. needs to reach its climate goals, according to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). In an issue brief published earlier this month titled Investing in a Clean Energy Future: Solar Energy Research, Deployment, and Workforce Priorities, the DOE cited an upcoming analysis from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory that will show solar deployment needs to triple or quadruple by 2030 for the U.S. power sector to eliminate most of its CO2 emissions by 2035. But this "will require continued research and development investments in new solar materials, solar demonstration projects, critical material supply chains, and the building or retooling of manufacturing facilities for the production of advanced energy technologies."
One of the highest-valued solar energy projects under construction in the U.S. is Terra-Gen LLC's (New York, New York) 700-megawatt (MW), $750 million Edwards Air Force Base PV Solar Plant in California. Engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor M.A. Mortenson Company (Minneapolis, Minnesota) will install approximately 14.4 million solar panels in single-axis tracker systems. Construction began in March, with completion expected in early 2023. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.
Industrial Info also is tracking eight solar module manufacturing facilities in the U.S. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Plant Database can click here for a list of detailed plant profiles. These facilities currently are home to four capital PV module manufacturing projects under construction, worth $800 million.
First Solar Incorporated (NASDAQ:FSLR) (Tempe, Arizona) kicked off construction earlier this month of its $680 million solar PV module-manufacturing plant in Walbridge, Ohio. This is the company's third thin-film module manufacturing plant in Wood County, Ohio, and will enable the company to expand its existing manufacturing capacity in the area to 6 gigawatts. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.
ACO Investment Group (New York, New York) and its subsidiary, Convalt Energy LLC, are planning the construction of a solar panel manufacturing plant in Dexter, New York, near Lake Ontario. Completion is expected in July 2022. The plant is expected to manufacture rooftop and utility-scale solar panels, utilizing equipment Convalt purchased from SunPower Corporation (NASDAQ:SPWR) (San Jose, California) and its now-closed SolarWorld plant in Oregon. This project has a medium probability (70-80%) of moving forward as planned. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.
Residential solar panel manufacturer GAF Energy is at work on a solar panel-manufacturing plant renovation in San Jose, California, that would allow the facility to manufacture 50 MW of solar panels per year. Completion is expected in December. Meanwhile, Heliene Incorporated (Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario) is planning a solar module plant expansion in Mountain Iron, Minnesota, to increase the plant's production capacity from 1,100 modules per day to 3,600 per day. This facility manufactures a majority of Heliene's solar modules for the residential market, although the company also produces utility-scale modules. For more information, see Industrial Info's project reports on the GAF and Heliene projects.
In related news, a group of solar manufacturers recently warned that "exploitative" Chinese trade practices could endanger domestic solar panel manufacturing. The American Solar Manufacturers Against Chinese Circumvention (A-SMACC) earlier this month filed a petition with the U.S. Department of Commerce alleging Chinese companies have been shipping components from China to be assembled into solar cells and panels at factories set up in Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, in order to circumvent U.S. tariffs on Chinese solar imports. Allowing this practice to continue, A-SMACC said, would give China "monopoly control" of the industry and leave the Biden administration's zero-carbon goals "gravely imperiled."
The group wants the Department of Commerce to expand anti-dumping tariffs on Chinese-made solar panels and cells to encompass panels and cells made in the three Southeast Asian countries. In 2020, 89% of U.S. solar PV module shipments were imports, according to the EIA. Vietnam was the leading importer, followed by Malaysia, South Korea and Thailand.
For information on other obstacles the U.S. faces regarding solar PV project development, see August 18, 2021, article - Solar Photovoltaic Project Developments Face Potential Hurdles in U.S.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, six offices in North America and 12 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. Follow IIR on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn.
Industrial Info is tracking more than $20 billion in solar energy projects under construction in the U.S. Industrial Info does not track rooftop or residential installations, but strictly utility-scale projects. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Power Project Database can click here for a full list of detailed project reports.
The increase comes as the Biden administration strives to increase domestic solar panel-manufacturing capacity, which the U.S. needs to reach its climate goals, according to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). In an issue brief published earlier this month titled Investing in a Clean Energy Future: Solar Energy Research, Deployment, and Workforce Priorities, the DOE cited an upcoming analysis from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory that will show solar deployment needs to triple or quadruple by 2030 for the U.S. power sector to eliminate most of its CO2 emissions by 2035. But this "will require continued research and development investments in new solar materials, solar demonstration projects, critical material supply chains, and the building or retooling of manufacturing facilities for the production of advanced energy technologies."
One of the highest-valued solar energy projects under construction in the U.S. is Terra-Gen LLC's (New York, New York) 700-megawatt (MW), $750 million Edwards Air Force Base PV Solar Plant in California. Engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor M.A. Mortenson Company (Minneapolis, Minnesota) will install approximately 14.4 million solar panels in single-axis tracker systems. Construction began in March, with completion expected in early 2023. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.
Industrial Info also is tracking eight solar module manufacturing facilities in the U.S. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Plant Database can click here for a list of detailed plant profiles. These facilities currently are home to four capital PV module manufacturing projects under construction, worth $800 million.
First Solar Incorporated (NASDAQ:FSLR) (Tempe, Arizona) kicked off construction earlier this month of its $680 million solar PV module-manufacturing plant in Walbridge, Ohio. This is the company's third thin-film module manufacturing plant in Wood County, Ohio, and will enable the company to expand its existing manufacturing capacity in the area to 6 gigawatts. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.
ACO Investment Group (New York, New York) and its subsidiary, Convalt Energy LLC, are planning the construction of a solar panel manufacturing plant in Dexter, New York, near Lake Ontario. Completion is expected in July 2022. The plant is expected to manufacture rooftop and utility-scale solar panels, utilizing equipment Convalt purchased from SunPower Corporation (NASDAQ:SPWR) (San Jose, California) and its now-closed SolarWorld plant in Oregon. This project has a medium probability (70-80%) of moving forward as planned. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.
Residential solar panel manufacturer GAF Energy is at work on a solar panel-manufacturing plant renovation in San Jose, California, that would allow the facility to manufacture 50 MW of solar panels per year. Completion is expected in December. Meanwhile, Heliene Incorporated (Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario) is planning a solar module plant expansion in Mountain Iron, Minnesota, to increase the plant's production capacity from 1,100 modules per day to 3,600 per day. This facility manufactures a majority of Heliene's solar modules for the residential market, although the company also produces utility-scale modules. For more information, see Industrial Info's project reports on the GAF and Heliene projects.
In related news, a group of solar manufacturers recently warned that "exploitative" Chinese trade practices could endanger domestic solar panel manufacturing. The American Solar Manufacturers Against Chinese Circumvention (A-SMACC) earlier this month filed a petition with the U.S. Department of Commerce alleging Chinese companies have been shipping components from China to be assembled into solar cells and panels at factories set up in Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, in order to circumvent U.S. tariffs on Chinese solar imports. Allowing this practice to continue, A-SMACC said, would give China "monopoly control" of the industry and leave the Biden administration's zero-carbon goals "gravely imperiled."
The group wants the Department of Commerce to expand anti-dumping tariffs on Chinese-made solar panels and cells to encompass panels and cells made in the three Southeast Asian countries. In 2020, 89% of U.S. solar PV module shipments were imports, according to the EIA. Vietnam was the leading importer, followed by Malaysia, South Korea and Thailand.
For information on other obstacles the U.S. faces regarding solar PV project development, see August 18, 2021, article - Solar Photovoltaic Project Developments Face Potential Hurdles in U.S.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, six offices in North America and 12 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. Follow IIR on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn.
