The Cumulative Installed Capacity Of Solar Photovoltaic in The U.S. Exceeds 100GW

The United States has broken the 100GW solar power installed capacity barrier and is expected to grow further, but long-term policy certainty is needed to support the pace of deployment

According to the latest quarterly report released by the Solar Energy Industry Association SEIA and Wood Mackenzie, the domestic solar market has doubled in size in the past 3-4 years. Driven by the investment tax credit ITC, this trend will continue in the next three years.

Analysts predict that 160 GW of solar projects will come online between 2021 and 2026, which will bring the country’s cumulative installed photovoltaic capacity to more than 250 GW by the end of 2026. However, due to rising component costs, installers are currently facing supply constraints, which will also affect the next few quarters.

"There is a lag between commodity prices and subsequent solar system prices. But there is no doubt that this is affecting the solar industry. Installers are dealing with the current equipment shortage and have to decide whether to renegotiate the contract."

The United States added a record 5GW solar photovoltaic power generation capacity in the first quarter of 2021, an increase of 46% over a year ago. Solar energy accounted for 58% of all new power capacity. Installations in the utility-scale sector accounted for 3.6GW of quarterly deployments, compared to 905 MW in the residential sector.

By state, Texas leads in new installed capacity with 1.52 GW of installed capacity. The other states in the top five are Indiana, Virginia, Michigan and Iowa.