US Solar Output Increases by 26% in First Nine Months of 2022 Y-o-Y

According to the latest report from the country’s Energy Information Administration (EIA), solar PV generation increased in the US during the first nine months of the year by 26.1% compared to the same period last year.

According to information from its publication “Electric Power Monthly,” solar PV generated 21.02% more electricity in September 2022 than it did in the same period the previous year, despite a decline in electricity production from other renewable sources. In September 2022, utility-scale solar PV capacity increased by over 655 MW.

According to research group SUN DAY Campaign, despite substantial growth from renewable power capacity throughout the first three quarters, EIA data points to a potential slowdown for Q4.

According to Ken Bossong, Executive Director of the SUN DAY Campaign, the EIA predicts that renewable energy sources will make up 22% of US electrical generation in 2022, an increase of 20% from the current year. He continues, “While they are currently ahead of that level, a slowdown in wind and hydropower generation during the last quarter of this year could result in renewables falling short of that mark while still exceeding their 2021 record output.”

Even though solar capacity generation increased in September, the deployment of utility-scale solar fell 23% from Q3 2021 to Q3 2022 as a result of delays in customs clearance caused by the application of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act.

This declining trend is anticipated to last through 2023 before the Inflation Reduction Act’s advantages begin to materialise by 2024.