Installations of recent solar energy technology capability this yr are anticipated to almost double the quantity that was inbuilt 2023, in accordance with the U.S. Vitality Info Administration (EIA).
The company is its newest “Preliminary Month-to-month Electrical Generator Stock” report mentioned builders count on so as to add 36.4 GW of recent photo voltaic capability in 2024. That compares to 18.4 GW of recent capability added final yr. The EIA is predicted to publish its subsequent replace on Feb. 26.
The EIA mentioned solar energy accounts for 58% of all new capability additions anticipated throughout the U.S. this yr, and is a part of what the company expects will likely be an general enhance in electrical energy producing capability. The EIA report mentioned the U.S. may add 62.8 GW of recent energy capability in 2024, a 55% leap over the 40.4 GW added a yr in the past. Solar energy paired with battery power storage is predicted to account for 81% of recent U.S. technology capability.
Texas, California, Florida
The report mentioned 35% of general new capability additions are anticipated in Texas, adopted by California at 10%, and Florida at 6%. The Photo voltaic Vitality Industries Affiliation (SEIA) has mentioned these three states, in that order, are forecast so as to add a lot of the nation’s new electrical energy output over the subsequent 5 years.
One of many first main solar-plus-storage initiatives is predicted on-line by the tip of February. Primergy’s Gemini set up in Nevada will characteristic 690 MW of photo voltaic technology capability, together with 380 MW/1.4 GWh of power storage. The Gemini mission would be the largest U.S. single-site photo voltaic mission when it begins industrial operation.
The EIA in its report mentioned it expects 470 new photo voltaic initiatives will come on-line this yr, together with 220 power storage installations. The 14.3 GW of recent battery capability forecast by the EIA is second solely to the capability additions within the photo voltaic sector; the company expects whole operational storage capability will practically double this yr, and it additionally mentioned capability additions in 2024 will greater than double the 6.4 GW added final yr.
Giant Storage Initiatives
A number of standalone power storage initiatives are anticipated to start working this yr, together with the 200-MW/400-MWh Peregrine facility in San Diego, California, forecast for a September begin date. The Peregrine set up will work in live performance with a number of close by wind and photo voltaic initiatives. Renewable power chief RWE lately introduced completion of three initiatives, two in Texas and one in Arizona.
Different main electrical energy technology initiatives anticipated to enter industrial operation this yr embrace the second unit of a two-unit enlargement on the Vogtle nuclear plant in Georgia. Unit 3—the primary new nuclear energy plant constructed within the U.S. in many years—got here on-line in summer time 2023. Unit 4, like Unit 3 a 1,100-MW Westinghouse AP1000 reactor, reached preliminary criticality earlier in February, in accordance with working utility Georgia Energy. The utility on Feb. 14 mentioned Unit 4 is predicted to start industrial operation within the second quarter of this yr.
Although the U.S. offshore wind trade has moved in suits and begins, and has lagged its European counterpart, the 800-MW Winery Wind mission off the coast of Massachusetts is predicted to come back on-line later in 2024. The set up produced its first energy on Jan. 2 of this yr.
—Darrell Proctor is a senior affiliate editor for POWER (@POWERmagazine).
