Hello Solar Enthusiasts!
If you’re anything like me, you keep a keen eye on what’s trending in the solar field, constantly on the lookout for saturated facts. Today, I’d love to share with you some updates on how solar-plus-storage facilities are taking over the US power plant market. Yes, you read that correctly. Not only should this tickle the fancy of solar companies but for anyone considering installing solar panels for their home – this is good news.
According to insightful data from the U.S. DOE’s Lawrence Berkeley National Lab’s Energy Market & Policy team (EMP), we currently have an impressive 469 hybrid power plants operating nationwide, with 288 of them being solar-plus-storage facilities. Now, these numbers may not ring a bell, but what’s exceptional is that these plants account for an incredible 7.8 GW of energy storage capacity and 24.2 GWh of energy deployed across the US.
The momentum for solar-plus-storage facilities started in 2020 with small projects sparking the fire in Massachusetts and gradually blazing forward in states like California, Texas, and Florida. Massachusetts holds the crown for hosting the most facilities, with beneficial DC to AC ratios and battery integration incentives provided by the local SMART program. But don’t discount the West Coast; nearly half of California’s 72 facilities surpass a whopping 100 MW of solar capacity.
There’s a growing trend in the use of energy storage as well. The industry seems to be swaying from using storage for frequency regulation towards more arbitrage-centric models with curtailment mitigation measures, something solar power plants significantly benefit from.
There’s also been an effective transformation in the utility-scale solar market in California. Imagine this, nearly all new projects now feature hybrid systems with a 60% storage attachment rate!
You might wonder, “But what does the future have in store?” Based on interconnection queue submissions, 47% of all future capacity is planned as hybrid power plants, with solar-plus-storage facilities being the favorable pick, making 92% of this total. The future, my friends, looks bright with a whopping 2 TW of solar and storage configurations, out of the total 2.5 TW in the interconnection queue.
Though the pricing for solar-plus-storage facilities has seen a slight surge owing to supply chain driven inflation and greater battery storage capacities, the market remains robust with capacity continuing to expand.
I can’t help but emphasize what a game-changer this is for solar companies and for those considering a solar array for their home. The world we are moving into is one where solar energy and storage go hand in hand, and where the irrepressible rise of solar-plus-storage facilities show no signs of slowing down.
But always remember, solar is more than just an energy source; it’s a statement about a world powered by renewable energy and a cleaner future. Until next time, folks, stay enlightened!
Original Articlehttps://pv-magazine-usa.com/2024/09/25/solar-plus-storage-dominating-future-u-s-power-grid/
