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Released December 11, 2023 | SUGAR LAND
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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--A recent report from the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and research firm Wood Mackenzie showed that the U.S. solar industry installed 6.5 gigawatts (GW) of new direct-current capacity in the third quarter, a 35% year-over-year increase, although a variety of factors are impacting utility-scale development. According to the report, entitled "U.S. Solar Market Insight," the U.S. is expected to add a record 33 GW of solar capacity in 2023.
Utility-scale led the way in installations, buoyed by improvements in the solar panel supply chain, followed by community and residential solar. Industrial Info only tracks utility-scale projects.
SEIA data as of December show there are 37 GW of utility-scale solar projects operating, with another 112 GW under development.
However, a related press release notes elevated financing costs, transformer shortages, and interconnection bottlenecks are impacting the utility-scale segment, with the third quarter seeing the lowest quarterly level of new contracts signed since 2018. However, thanks to improvements in the solar panel supply chain, a record 12 GW of utility-scale solar was deployed in the first nine months of 2023.
Michelle Davis, head of solar research at Wood Mackenzie and lead author of the report, said she expects growth in the U.S. solar industry in 2024, but she also predicted slower growth starting in 2026, "as various challenges like interconnection constraints become more acute ... Interconnection reform, regulatory modernization, and increasing storage attachment rates will be key tools."
Despite any challenges facing the deployment of utility-scale solar power in the U.S, Industrial Info is tracking robust project activity across the country.
Leading the way in installations in third-quarter 2023, said the report, were California, Texas and Indiana. The former two states are widely known as the top two locations for utility-scale capacity.
Industrial Info is tracking more than $40 billion worth of solar-generation projects under construction in the U.S., which includes about $11.5 billion of activity in Texas and $3.8 billion in California.
The highest-capacity project underway in Texas being tracked by Industrial Info is Parliament Solar, LLC's (Katy, Texas) $650 million Parliament Solar Farm in Waller County, near Houston. The solar farm will utilize photovoltaic (PV) panels on a proprietary tracking system from Germany-based Ideematec to provide 640 MW of solar generation. Engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) firm Wanzek Construction Incorporated (Fargo, North Dakota) is expected to wrap up the project in late 2026. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Power Project Database can click here to learn more.
Another large solar facility in Texas is expected to become operational in 2024: Hecate Energy LLC's (Chicago, Illinois) 553-MW, $550 million Roseland solar photovoltaic facility in Mart, near Waco. Engineering, procurement and construction company Primoris Renewable Energy (Aurora, Colorado) began construction in 2021, although the project was delayed due to issues with the solar panel supply chain. The facility will use approximately 669,000 panels on a single-axis tracking system to provide 553 MW. Subscribers can click here to read a detailed project report.
One of the highest-valued, highest-capacity projects in California is construction of Capital Dynamics Limited's (New York, New York) 200-MW Eland 1 solar farm in Cantil as well as the 200-MW Eland 2 addition, both in Kern County. They will utilize First Solar Incorporated's (NASDAQ:FSLR) (Tempe, Arizona) Series 6 thin-film modules to provide 200 MW of solar power each. Also underway is construction of a $300 million battery energy storage system (BESS) at Eland 2, which will utilize Tesla Incorporated's (NASDAQ:TSLA) (Austin, Texas) "Megapack" large-scale energy-storage model. All three projects are expected to become operational in 2024.
BESS units are being paired with new or existing solar plants, to provide power in times of high demand or when the sun isn't shining. Subscribers can read more information on the Eland 1 and Eland 2 solar farms, and the Eland 2 BESS.
In Indiana, construction of Doral Renewables LLC's (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) 480-MW, $475 million Mammoth Solar Plant in Winamac is nearing completion. A 360-MW Phase II addition is expected to kick off in 2025, with completion a year later. Subscribers can read detailed reports for the Phase I and Phase II projects.
Subscribers to the GMI Database can click here for the project reports cited in this article and here for the related plant profiles.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).
Utility-scale led the way in installations, buoyed by improvements in the solar panel supply chain, followed by community and residential solar. Industrial Info only tracks utility-scale projects.
SEIA data as of December show there are 37 GW of utility-scale solar projects operating, with another 112 GW under development.
However, a related press release notes elevated financing costs, transformer shortages, and interconnection bottlenecks are impacting the utility-scale segment, with the third quarter seeing the lowest quarterly level of new contracts signed since 2018. However, thanks to improvements in the solar panel supply chain, a record 12 GW of utility-scale solar was deployed in the first nine months of 2023.
Michelle Davis, head of solar research at Wood Mackenzie and lead author of the report, said she expects growth in the U.S. solar industry in 2024, but she also predicted slower growth starting in 2026, "as various challenges like interconnection constraints become more acute ... Interconnection reform, regulatory modernization, and increasing storage attachment rates will be key tools."
Despite any challenges facing the deployment of utility-scale solar power in the U.S, Industrial Info is tracking robust project activity across the country.
Leading the way in installations in third-quarter 2023, said the report, were California, Texas and Indiana. The former two states are widely known as the top two locations for utility-scale capacity.
Industrial Info is tracking more than $40 billion worth of solar-generation projects under construction in the U.S., which includes about $11.5 billion of activity in Texas and $3.8 billion in California.
The highest-capacity project underway in Texas being tracked by Industrial Info is Parliament Solar, LLC's (Katy, Texas) $650 million Parliament Solar Farm in Waller County, near Houston. The solar farm will utilize photovoltaic (PV) panels on a proprietary tracking system from Germany-based Ideematec to provide 640 MW of solar generation. Engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) firm Wanzek Construction Incorporated (Fargo, North Dakota) is expected to wrap up the project in late 2026. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Power Project Database can click here to learn more.
Another large solar facility in Texas is expected to become operational in 2024: Hecate Energy LLC's (Chicago, Illinois) 553-MW, $550 million Roseland solar photovoltaic facility in Mart, near Waco. Engineering, procurement and construction company Primoris Renewable Energy (Aurora, Colorado) began construction in 2021, although the project was delayed due to issues with the solar panel supply chain. The facility will use approximately 669,000 panels on a single-axis tracking system to provide 553 MW. Subscribers can click here to read a detailed project report.
One of the highest-valued, highest-capacity projects in California is construction of Capital Dynamics Limited's (New York, New York) 200-MW Eland 1 solar farm in Cantil as well as the 200-MW Eland 2 addition, both in Kern County. They will utilize First Solar Incorporated's (NASDAQ:FSLR) (Tempe, Arizona) Series 6 thin-film modules to provide 200 MW of solar power each. Also underway is construction of a $300 million battery energy storage system (BESS) at Eland 2, which will utilize Tesla Incorporated's (NASDAQ:TSLA) (Austin, Texas) "Megapack" large-scale energy-storage model. All three projects are expected to become operational in 2024.
BESS units are being paired with new or existing solar plants, to provide power in times of high demand or when the sun isn't shining. Subscribers can read more information on the Eland 1 and Eland 2 solar farms, and the Eland 2 BESS.
In Indiana, construction of Doral Renewables LLC's (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) 480-MW, $475 million Mammoth Solar Plant in Winamac is nearing completion. A 360-MW Phase II addition is expected to kick off in 2025, with completion a year later. Subscribers can read detailed reports for the Phase I and Phase II projects.
Subscribers to the GMI Database can click here for the project reports cited in this article and here for the related plant profiles.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).
