Solar panel shipments reached record 28.8 million peak kW in 2021
According to the latest report from the United States Energy Information Administration (EIA), the nation’s shipments of solar panels reached a record electricity-generating capacity of 28.8 million peak kW in 2021 – essentially 8 million kW higher than the previous year.
These solar photovoltaic (PV) module totals were reached through assessments of imports, exports, and domestically produced and shipped panels. Far and away, most were imports – about 80 percent of the total – and most of these came from Asia.
Shipment additions could be further divided into two categories: utility-scale, meaning facility with 1 MW of capacity or more; or small-scale, meaning generally residential solar installations. In all, the United States added 13.2 GW of utility-scale solar capacity last year — the country’s most capacity added to date. For comparison, in 2020, the industry added 10.6 GW. According to the EIA, the major uptick in shipments came despite project delays, supply chain issues, and surging costs.
On the other side of the equation, small-scale solar capacity installations rose 5.4 GW in 2021, compared to the 4.4 GW of the previous year. Most of the new installations went to homes, amounting to 3.9 GW of the total. Between small-scale and utility-scale additions, California topped the destinations list for new shipments, accounting for 5.09 million peak kW. It was followed by Texas at 4.31 million peak kW. Lagging in third was Florida, which reached 1.8 million peak kW.
Despite supply chain issues and rising material costs, the average value of solar panels reportedly decreased 11 percent compared to 2020. The average value of panel shipments has fallen since 2010, from $1.96 per peak kW to $0.34 per peak kW in 2021.
