According to the latest report from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), solar power generation accounted for 59% of all new electricity generation in the first half of 2024. The total newly installed capacity of all large-scale ground-mounted technologies in H1 of 2024 was 20.2 GW, an increase of 3.6 GW compared to the same period of last year. EIA predicts that the newly installed capacity in H2 of 2024 will reach 42.6 GW, among which 25 GW comes from large-scale ground-mounted PV.
By the end of 2024, the newly installed capacity of solar power generation is expected to reach 37GW, which will break the historical record for single year installed capacity and double the number 18.8GW in 2023.
Texas and California, as the two leading states in solar power generation, accounted for 38% of the new solar power generation in H1 of 2024. Nevada had the largest scale of projects put into operation during this period.
It’s worth mentioning that the Gemini Solar-Storage project, jointly developed by investment fund Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners and its subsidiary, independent power producer Primergy Solar, has an installed solar capacity of 690MW, becoming the largest solar project put into operation in the US this year.
In terms of battery energy storage systems (BESS), with the number of 4.2 GW, the newly added capacity ranked second as of the end of June 2024. These newly added cell capacities are mainly concentrated in California (37% of total additions), Texas (24%), Arizona (19%), and Nevada (13%).
EIA predicts that it will be added 10.8 GW of capacity in H2 of 2024 in BESS and may set a single-year record of 15 GW installed in one year. Texas and California currently account for 81% of the expected new capacity of BESS in H2 of 2024.
The Gemini Solar-Storage project is not only the largest solar project to be commissioned in H1 of 2024, but also the largest BESS project to be put into operation in the region, with an output of 380 MW.
Similar to the Gemini project, the second largest BESS project to be put into operation in H1 of 2024 is also a solar-storage project. The project is the Eleven Mile Solar Center in Arizona, jointly powered by the US ground-mounted company Salt River Project (SRP) and Danish energy company Ørsted. The installed solar capacity of this project is 300 MW, and the BESS capacity is 300 MW/1.2GWh. Before the completion of this project, the companies had signed a power purchase agreement with social media and tech giant Meta.
The 640 MW Lumina solar power plant in Texas is the second largest solar project to come online in H1 of 2024. The project is owned by renewable energy developer Intersect Power, which has a 2.2 GW solar project portfolio.
