U.S. Solar Set for First-Quarter Buildout Amid Trade Disputes

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--The global need for renewable-energy technology is clashing with concerns about China's labor practices. New U.S. solar installations are expected to see a 23% drop for 2022--including a 40% drop for utility-scale projects--from the previous year, according to a recent report, citing restrictions on imported panels. Nonetheless, solar plays a leading role in near-term renewable installations. Of the roughly $28 billion worth of U.S.-based renewable projects set to begin construction in the first quarter of 2023, more than $22 billion (about 83%) is attributed to solar. More than $13 billion of that is for projects with a medium-to-high (70% or more) likelihood of beginning construction as currently scheduled.

Click on the image at right for a heat map of U.S. solar power-generation projects set to begin construction in first-quarter 2023, according to Industrial Info's Geolocator tool.

According to a report from the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) (Washington, D.C.) and research firm Wood Mackenzie (Edinburgh, Scotland), concerns about unfair and forced labor have resulted in a ban on goods from China's Xinjiang region, blocking more than 1,000 shipments of solar energy imports at U.S. ports. SEIA and Wood Mackenzie say utility-scale, commercial and community installations will suffer as a result, with overall domestic solar installations totaling 18.6 gigawatts (GW), a 23% decline from 2021.

But plenty of solar-power projects remain in the pipeline. Texas leads all other U.S. states with about $3.5 billion worth of first-quarter solar kickoffs. Greenalia S.A. (A Coruna, Spain), a European renewable-energy producer that entered the U.S. market last year, is proposing the 670-megawatt (MW) Grayson Solar Plant in Collinsville, Texas, which would be built in a 500-MW first phase and a 170-MW second phase. Altogether, the facility is designed to use more than 2.24 million photovoltaic (PV) solar modules.

Manuel García, the chief executive officer of Greenalia, called the U.S. a "priority market" for solar development when it announced its Texas-sized ambitions last year. "The strong commitment and drive of the U.S. administration for renewable energies has opened an attractive window that we must take advantage of," he said. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Power Project Database can read detailed reports on Phase I and Phase II of the Grayson projects.

Among the Texas solar projects most likely to begin construction as planned next quarter are Innovative Solar Systems LLC's (Asheville, North Carolina) $525 million Plateau Solar Farm in Anson. Located about 30 miles north of Abilene, the facility is expected to generate 300 MW from PV modules. Subscribers can learn more from Industrial Info's project report.

NextEra Energy Incorporated (NYSE:NEE) (Juno Beach, Florida) leads all other parent companies for first-quarter solar kickoffs, with $1.85 billion worth of projects. The company is preparing to begin construction on several projects, including the $95 million Cavendish Solar Energy Center in Okeechobee, Florida. The plant is located next to NextEra's 25-MW, $65 million pilot project for the Okeechobee Clean Energy Center, which is designed to use solar energy to separate hydrogen from water, creating "green hydrogen" to generate power.

The Okeechobee complex is part of NextEra's "Real Zero" plan, announced this summer, which aims to eliminate carbon emissions from the company's operations by 2045, without relying on carbon offsets. Subscribers can read detailed project reports on the solar plant and Clean Energy Center.

Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Project Database can click here for a full list of detailed reports for projects mentioned in this article, and click here for a full list of related plant profiles.

Subscribers can click here for a full list of reports for U.S. solar projects set to begin construction in the first quarter of 2023.

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) platform 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 more than 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).