2023 is on track to be a “record year” for solar PV installations in the US; through August, 8.4GW of utility-scale solar was installed, 50% more than the equivalent point in 2022. In those deployments, some trends have emerged.
Utility-scale solar PV capacity added in 2022 reached nearly 13GW in the US, a drop from the previous year as supply chain constraints, and sourcing difficulties for solar panels slowed down the pace.
The US has a massive interconnection problem, with more than 14TW of clean power sat dormant in its queues. The DOE i2X initiative is seeking to unleash this power and catapult the US closer to its climate targets. But how will it achieve this? Sean Rai-Roche finds out more.
Cost certainty, reducing wait times and more flexible agreements with utilities are crucial to solving the US’ interconnections problems that are holding the country back from reaching its renewables targets
The US Department of Energy (DOE) has released more details about, and sought more engagement with, its Interconnection Innovation e-Xchange (i2X) programme at RE+ in Anaheim, California.
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is expected to add an extra US$110 billion in investment for utility-scale solar in the US by 2030, increasing the country's utility-scale deployment by more than 70GW.
PV Tech Premium speaks with US developers who are railing against the country's long interconnection queues, which they say are dampening deployment and pushing up the cost of solar PV
