US installs 6.6 GW of clean power in 2022 in new quarterly record

The US has installed 6,619 MW of utility-scale clean power capacity in the first three months of 2022, marking a record first quarter for clean power installations and an increase of 11% compared to the first quarter of 2021, according to a new report by American Clean Power (ACP).

Growth was driven by battery storage installations, which expanded 173% from a year ago to 758 MW/2,537 MWh. Utility-scale solar additions rose 11% to 2,997 MW, while wind installations declined 3% to 2,865 MW.

However, more than 14.8 GW of capacity has been delayed as of the end of the quarter, including 8.6 GW of solar projects. Clean power projects in the pipeline, including schemes under construction and in advanced development, hit a record 125,476 MW but pipeline growth has slowed to only 4%, according to the report.

“The record-breaking quarter for clean power is encouraging, but the industry still faces many hurdles that are stalling growth,” ACP CEO Heather Zichal said in a statement.

“Ongoing uncertainty from the Department of Commerce’s unwarranted solar tariff case, the unsettled fate of clean energy tax credits, supply chain issues and inflation are all making investment and planning decisions a difficult challenge,” she added, noting the industry needs resolution and policy clarity if it is to meet US President Joe Biden’s 2035 target for achieving a net-zero electric grid.

Battery storage was the biggest growth engine in the quarter with 758MW of new capacity, up 173% from a year earlier, with more than half part of hybrid projects, mostly solar, according to the ACP report.

Onshore wind installations meanwhile fell 3% to 2.86GW, even as developers pushed ahead to complete projects that qualify for the federal production tax credit (PTC), which expired at the end of 2021.

According to ACP, a market impact survey of leading utility solar developers indicates that at least 65% of the forecast 17GW of crystalline silicon capacity additions to the US grid this year are at risk of delay or cancellation, mainly due to lack of PV module availability.