The US installed nearly 12GW of new solar capacity in Q1 2024, bringing total installed capacity to 200GW in the country.
According to the US Solar Market Insight Q2 2024 report released by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and Wood Mackenzie new data from 2023 shows that the US added over 40GW of new solar capacity in 2024.
“Massive growth” in the utility-scale market is driving record solar deployment figures as the segment added nearly 10GW of new capacity in Q1.
Florida and Texas saw strong utility-scale growth and led all states for new solar capacity in Q1.
Other markets like New Mexico and Ohio also had strong quarters, installing 686MW and 546MW, respectively.
“The US solar industry continues to show strength in terms of deployments,” said Michelle Davis, head of global solar at Wood Mackenzie and lead author of the report.
“At the same time, the solar industry faces a number of challenges to its continued growth including availability of labour, high voltage equipment constraints, and continued trade policy uncertainty.”
Wood Mackenzie now projects that the US solar industry will install another 40GW in 2024.
In Q1 2024 a record-setting 11GW of new solar module manufacturing capacity came online in the US, the largest quarter of solar manufacturing growth in American history.
In total US solar module manufacturing capacity now exceeds 26GW annually.
“This quarter proves that new federal investments in clean energy are revitalising American manufacturing and strengthening our nation’s energy economy,” said SEIA president and CEO Abigail Ross Hopper.
“Whether it’s a billion-dollar investment in a nearby solar project or a new manufacturing plant employing hundreds of local workers, the solar and storage industry is uplifting communities in every state across this country,” Hopper added.