ACP report says Q2 set record for new utility-scale clean power capacity

Published on September 06, 2024 by Dave Kovaleski

U.S. developers added 11 gigawatts (GW) of new utility-scale clean power capacity in the second quarter, according to the American Clean Power Association’s (ACP) Clean Power Quarterly Market Report.

This record-breaking amount marks a 91 percent increase over the second quarter of 2023.

For the year, there has been 19 GW of installations, which is more than double the five-year average for installations in the first half of the year. With the second half of the year historically much stronger than the first half for clean power additions, the likelihood is high for a record-breaking year in 2024.

“Clean energy is answering the call to unleash more American energy, with another record quarter of deployment. While all clean energy technologies are expanding their market share, energy storage is scaling at a stunning speed and has surpassed 20 GW of operating capacity,” ACP CEO Jason Grumet said. “With rapidly growing demand and the need to make significant strides in decarbonizing our economy, the stakes are high. Our recent progress is encouraging, but we are not moving fast enough. ACP is committed to working with all stakeholders and policymakers to accelerate progress toward a secure, reliable, and clean energy future.”

Specifically, developers added more than 11 GW of new utility-scale solar, storage, and wind capacity in the second quarter, up 91 percent from the same quarter a year ago. The second quarter also marked the first time that Texas has surpassed California as the nation’s leading state for utility-scale solar capacity. With 1,656 MW added in Q2, Texas now has 21,932 MW of operating solar power. Also, the U.S. energy storage sector added 2.9 GW this quarter to reach a total of 21.6 GW.

Further, the annual growth in the clean power pipeline increased by 13 percent from the previous year, with significant expansions expected in offshore wind in the coming months. Through the first half of 2024, 5.5 GW more onshore wind projects were under construction than at the same point in 2023, bringing the total volume under construction up to more than 14 GW. In the second quarter alone, more than 4 GW of offshore wind capacity was under construction.

Overall, more than 283 GW of clean power is now operational in the United States — enough to power nearly 70 million homes.