In the first quarter of 2023, the industry installed 4,079 MW of utility-scale clean power capacity, enough to power nearly 904,000 American homes. First quarter installations fell below recent levels, down 36% compared to the first quarter of 2022, according to the Q1 2023 Clean Power Quarterly Market Report. This is the lowest first quarter the industry has experienced since 2020. All three technologies experienced significant declines compared to the first quarter of 2022. Wind installations decreased by 50%, battery storage by 32%, and solar by 23%.

First quarter installs were low in part due to the challenges that continue to delay clean power project timelines. Solar is the most delayed technology. Seesawing regulations due to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s (DOC) ongoing anticircumvention investigation delayed or forced changes to solar module delivery plans. Furthermore, long release timelines for modules detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) further pushed back delivery timelines for some major solar projects, too.

Despite a fall in quarterly installations, the pipeline continues to grow. The 138,808 MW in the pipeline represents an 11% increase from Q1 2022, and a 62% increase from Q1 2021. Solar continues to be the leading technology in the pipeline, accounting for 59% of all clean power capacity in development. Land-based wind accounts for 15% of the pipeline, battery storage represents 14%, and offshore wind claims the remaining 13%.

Our Clean Power Quarterly provides a snapshot view of the latest U.S. utility wind, solar, and battery storage industry activity and trends. The report includes first quarter installations, projects under construction and in advanced development, new power purchase agreements, OEM market share, project acquisition activity, offshore wind energy activity, and much, much more.

Read the Report

• Full Report: The full report is available to ACP members only.
  • Not a member? Join now.
• Public Report: The free public version of the report, which provides a summary of key takeaways and graphics from the full report, is available for download below.
• Appendices: Interested in the data behind the report? Members can download the appendices here and check out the underlying data in spreadsheet form here.
• Press Release: Read our press release for more.

Webinar: Clean Power Quarterly Market Report | Q1 2023

Join ACP experts at a live webinar to dive deeper into comprehensive research on U.S. clean energy markets, deployments, policies, regulations, and financing found in both Clean Power Quarterly Market Report | Q1 2023 and the Clean Power Annual Market Report | 2022.

This members-only webinar helps you dissect exclusive market data found in the reports and breaks down what these trends mean for your business moving forward. It will take place on June 13, 2023. Stay tuned for more details.

Visit the interactive website for data highlights from the report.

The clean power industry commissioned over 25.5 GW of new clean power in 2022—a decline of 15% compared to the record-breaking year of 2021. While short of expectations, the industry did capture the majority of the market clean power projects, representing an impressive nearly 80% of all new capacity.

2022 brought the challenges and growth potential facing the clean power industry into stark relief. President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) into law on August 16. This unprecedented national commitment to clean power is the largest policy investment in clean energy on record. The IRA is set to catalyze clean energy growth, ultimately more than tripling annual installations of wind, solar, and battery storage by the end of the decade.

However, despite the positive prospects, the clean power industry faced a string of obstacles in 2022. Supply chain constraints, lengthy delays connecting projects to the grid, unclear trade restrictions, longstanding permitting obstacles, and uncertainty over IRA implementation hindered project development and investment activity.

ACP’s Clean Power Annual Market Report 2022 is a nearly 200-page comprehensive overview of key industry statistics, trends, and rankings from 2022.

Read the Report

• Full Report: The full report is available to ACP members only.
  • Not a member? Join now.
• Public Report: The free public version of the report, providing a summary of key takeaways and graphics from the full report, is available for download below.
• Data Takeaways: Visit our new interactive, data-driven website that details the 2022 year-in-review highlights.
• Press Release: Read our press release for more.

Webinar: Clean Power Market Reports (June 13)

Join ACP experts at a live webinar to dive deeper into comprehensive research on U.S. clean energy markets, deployments, policies, regulations, and financing found in both Clean Power Quarterly Market Report Q1 2023 and the Clean Power Annual Market Report 2022.

This members-only webinar helps you dissect exclusive market data found in the reports and breaks down what these trends mean for your business moving forward. It will take place on June 13, 2023. Stay tuned for more details.

ACP is proud to share our Annual Report (2022), detailing the growth of our trade association and our industry.

2022 was not without its challenges — from moments where generational clean energy legislation seemed to slip through our fingers to trade and import policies that severely blunted the industry’s growth. However, moments like these are exactly why ACP was created.

After just two years, it’s clear: Together with our growing membership, ACP has had a tremendous impact on behalf of our industry. Just as the path looked impossible, the groundwork laid over two years paid off with the biggest ever victory for our industry:

• The largest clean energy bill in U.S. history was signed into law in August 2022.
  • The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) will provide the stability and predictability that our members have needed to build America’s clean energy future.
  • Across our industry, the IRA is expected to deliver an estimated 525 to 550 gigawatts of new, utility-scale clean power between 2022–2030 — driving an estimated 40% reduction in emissions, creating 550,000 new clean energy jobs, and supporting a direct workforce of nearly one million Americans.
• In the midst of an electric year, ACP grew membership to over 750 member companies, returned to in-person events (breaking revenue and attendance records), and hired expert staff to further support the organization’s advocacy across all fronts.

From our advocacy at the federal and state level, to hosting conferences attended by over 11,000 people, to the industry insights provided to our members across our many research tools, we are deeply grateful to support the industry through the work we do. Thank you for being a part of that.

Overview

The American Clean Power Association (ACP)’s U.S. Offshore Wind Market Report reveals a rapidly growing pipeline of projects across 32 leases, totaling 51,377 MW of expected capacity. These developments will provide enough electricity to power the equivalent of more than 20 million homes. Although the U.S. currently lags behind China and the U.K. in terms of installed offshore wind capacity, the increasing number of projects in development signals significant progress in a sector poised to play a critical role in creating an energy system powered by clean energy.

Offshore wind project development, construction and operations are expected to support up to 83,000 American jobs by 2030, with industry investment set up to deliver $25 billion per year in economic output.

The Offshore Wind Market Report underscores the crucial role that states are playing in driving U.S. offshore wind procurement. East coast states, like New York and New Jersey, have set procurement targets totaling over 51,000 MW. In total, ten states have combined offshore wind targets of over 81,000 MW.

The new report emphasizes the economic impact of offshore wind on domestic shipbuilding, with more than 30 new vessels currently on order or under construction to support the industry. Key takeaways include upcoming offshore wind projects in the pipeline, locations of announced manufacturing facilities, and more. For more information, read our Press Release, “U.S. Offshore Wind Market Report Expands Rapidly With 51,377 MW Projected Capacity.”

ACP Member Webinars

As the premier organization representing the interests of America’s clean energy industries, we are always seeking ways to add value and offer new perspectives. ACP webinars have been designed to equip clean energy professionals from diverse geographical locations with the ability to connect and collaborate, elevating our industry. ACP webinars deliver breaking news updates covering policy, education and the business of clean energy. Participate in informative sessions as they occur and never miss another essential industry report. Check out our webinars by visiting the member portal.

As of March 31, 2023, over $150 billion in capital investment has been announced for utility-scale clean energy projects and manufacturing facilities since federal incentives were signed into law last August. This is equivalent to five years’ worth of American clean energy investment, surpassing total investment into U.S. clean power projects commissioned between 2017 – 2021.

The new Clean Energy Investing in America report details several other landmark achievements for the industry, including announcements of 47 new or expanded utility-scale clean energy manufacturing facilities, bringing with them an expected 18,000 new American jobs.

Alongside announcements of massive investment, the report details announcements of over $4.4 billion in savings for over 24 million utility customers.

Visit the interactive website, and download the new report below.  

Importantly, the report demonstrates that additional energy storage in Maryland supports grid reliability and can deliver emissions reductions of 93% below 2023 levels over the next 10 years.

The full report is available for download.

Contact John Hensley, jhensley@cleanpower.org, with questions.

The 2022 Year-in-Review U.S. Energy Storage Monitor was released on Wednesday, March 15. Wood Mackenzie and ACP produce quarterly executive summaries that are complimentary to our members.

The U.S. Energy Storage Monitor full report is available to ACP members at an exclusive discount. 

About the U.S. Energy Storage Monitor:  

The U.S. Energy Storage Monitor is offered quarterly in two versions – the executive summary and the full report.

The executive summary is complimentary to member companies and provides a bird’s eye view of the U.S. energy storage market and the trends shaping it.

In contrast, the full report features state-by-state breakdowns and analysis on storage deployments, growth forecasts, policies helping or hindering growth, financing trends, and market strategies. It is available individually each quarter or as part of an annual subscription. 

Pricing List

Get the data needed to support your business by purchasing the report.

ACP Members get discounted access to the Energy Storage Monitor using a code found in an email on March 15 from membership@cleanpower.org. For access to the ACP member coupon code, please email this address.

Not an ACP member? Join now. 

To redeem the yearly subscription, please contact Wood Mackenzie. 

The Source of Energy Storage Information and Data for Hundreds of Media Outlets 

The quarterly reports from ACP and Wood Mackenzie are routinely cited by hundreds of media outlets as the authoritative source of energy storage industry data. International, national, local, and trade press outlets rely on the data to develop a better picture of where the industry is heading and how energy storage is being integrated into state resource planning and competitive markets.

About Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables 

Wood Mackenzie, a Verisk Analytics business, is a trusted source of commercial intelligence for the world’s natural resources sector. We empower clients to make better strategic decisions, providing objective analysis and advice on assets, companies and markets. For more information, visit: www.woodmac.com or follow on Twitter @WoodMackenzie. 

Overview

In the fourth quarter of 2022, the U.S. wind, solar, and battery storage sectors installed a total of 9.6 gigawatts (GW) of utility-scale clean power capacity – enough to power the equivalent of 2 million American homes with affordable, domestic energy, according to the Q4 2022 Clean Power Quarterly Market Report. 

While Q4 was the best quarter of 2022, it was the lowest fourth quarter for utility-scale clean energy project installations since 2019. A confluence of policy and market headwinds such as supply chain constraints, lengthy delays connecting projects to the grid, unclear trade restrictions, longstanding permitting obstacles and uncertainty over IRA implementation slowed project development in 2022. While ACP members have worked with federal, state and local officials to get over 25 GW of new clean power online, this progress fell short of industry and analyst projections. 

For the full year, the industry installed 25.1 GW of clean power capacity across the United States, representing a $35 billion capital investment. 2022 installations mark a 16% decline from the record year in 2021 and a 12% decline from 2020.

Battery storage set a record for annual installations in 2022, commissioning 4 GW/12.2 GWh of new capacity. Solar led annual installs with 12.6 GW coming online. Land-based wind finished the year with it’s strongest quarter, but annual installs were still the lowest since 2018.  

Want to learn more?

Our Clean Power Quarterly provides a snapshot view of the latest U.S. utility wind, solar, and battery storage industry activity and trends. The report includes fourth quarter installations, projects under construction and in advanced development, new power purchase agreements, OEM market share, project acquisition activity, offshore wind energy activity, and much, much more. 

The full report is available to members only. Not a member? Join now.

The free public version of the report, which provides a summary of key takeaways and graphics from the full report, is available for download below.

Interested in the data behind the report? Members can download the appendices here and check out the underlying data in spreadsheet form here.

Member Briefing | Feb. 22

Members can register for a webinar on February 22 where the ACP market intelligence team will deliver the key highlights from the association’s fourth quarter market report. This includes updates on deployment volumes, pipeline growth, power purchase agreement activity, and leading market participants. The crew will also discuss the key energy provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act, their implications for the clean energy industry, and highlight notable developments in state energy policy.

As offshore wind projects continue to be developed in response to clean energy goals across the US, there is an urgent need for states, federal agencies, and regional grid operators to act quickly to identify cost-effective transmission solutions to bring that power to shore and regional load centers.

The estimated benefits for over 100 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind generation include:

• At least $20 billion in transmission-related cost savings;
• 60–70% fewer shore crossings and necessary onshore transmissions upgrades;
• Approximately 2,000 (50%) fewer miles of marine transmission cable installations disturbing the seabed;
• More competitive procurement outcomes, increased consumer savings, enhanced reliability and grid resilience, and more timely investments in the local clean energy economy.

In a new report prepared by the Brattle Group, American Clean Power Association outlines the benefits of starting collaborative planning processes for offshore wind transmission today. The report, The Benefit and Urgency of Planned Offshore Transmission, highlights how proactive transmission planning for future U.S. offshore wind generation developments will significantly reduce costs, increase grid reliability, minimize environmental and community impact, and help reach clean energy goals in a timely manner.

The Benefit and Urgency of Planned Offshore Transmission was commissioned by the American Clean Power Association (ACP), the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE), the Clean Air Task Force (CATF), GridLab, and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). The report was coauthored by Brattle Principal Johannes Pfeifenberger, Manager Joe DeLosa III, Associate Linquan Bai, and Cornelis Plet of DNV. It included contributions from an advisory panel of industry and policy experts.