US: Utility-scale PV installations slow in Q3 2022

    Utility-scale solar installed just under 1.9 GW in the third quarter of 2022, with the industry experiencing its slowest quarter since July-September 2020. This year has been considered a landmark year for the solar Solar Generator Set industry, but global supply challenges have hampered growth, delayed projects and pushed up prices.

    Still, optimism persists. The U.S. could deploy 550GW of renewable energy by 2030, the American Clean Energy Council (ACP) said in its quarterly report. Solar is expected to lead the energy transition this decade, accounting for 59% of the renewable energy projects to be built. In the process, the U.S. is expected to reduce overall economy emissions by 40 percent from 2005 levels. The ACP says this progress will be achieved through a clean energy workforce of 1 million.

    Despite the slow growth this quarter, 2022 is still the second-highest year for solar deployments, after 2021. Quarterly installs were down 23% from the same period a year earlier. This slowdown is likely to continue for some time as solar module supply issues remain.

    By 2022, the total installed solar capacity will exceed 7GW. This brings the total operating capacity of utility-scale solar to 68GW. Developers have launched 41 solar projects covering 18 states totalling 1.87GW, ACP said. California leads the pack with 16.8GW of cumulative installed operating capacity, and Texas is second with 9.9GW. Iowa installed 100MW of solar capacity this quarter, up nearly 40%.