Clean power installations increased at record pace in first half of year

Published on August 26, 2021 by Dave Kovaleski

U.S. project developers commissioned 9,915 megawatts (MW) of clean power capacity over the first six months of the year, a record for new clean power installations, according to new data released by the American Clean Power Association (ACP).

The association’s Clean Power Quarterly 2021 Q2 Market Report, which provides a snapshot of the latest U.S. utility wind, solar, and battery storage industry activity, showed the six-month total of clean energy projects represents a 17 percent increase over the first six months of 2020.

“This market report shows the record growth across the renewable energy sector. With a record pace of installations in the first half of 2021 our industry not only provides good-paying jobs but also is a key part of solving the climate crisis,” Heather Zichal, CEO of ACP, said.

For the second quarter of 2021, 5,620 MW of clean power capacity was installed, a 13 percent increase over the second quarter of 2020, the report said.

Breaking down the numbers, 2,226 MW of solar capacity was installed in the second quarter, a 73 percent increase year over year, while the wind sector installed 2,824 MW of new capacity in the second quarter, a 10 percent increase. The most dramatic increase came from battery energy storage, which saw a 439 percent increase in installations to 570 MW for the quarter.

“This growth and expansion are expected to continue but we need policymakers in Washington to make long-term decisions to ensure we can continue to develop these critical projects,” Zichal said.

The report also found that project owners commissioned a total of 56 new projects across 27 states during the second quarter, including 30 utility-scale solar projects, 16 new wind projects, seven energy storage projects, and three solar-storage hybrid projects. The top five states for second quarter additions were Texas (1,489 MW), California (585 MW), Michigan (424 MW), Florida (373 MW) and Kansas (301MW).

Overall, there is now more than 180,216 MW of clean power capacity operating in the United States, enough to power over 50 million homes. That is more than double the U.S. capacity just five years ago. This growth is expected to continue, ACP said, as there were 906 projects totaling over 101,897 MW of clean power capacity under construction (37,725 MW) or in advanced development (64,172 MW) at the end of the second quarter.