The American Clean Power Association (ACP) reports that the U.S. utility-scale wind, solar and storage sectors added a combined 5,585 MW of new capacity in the first quarter of 2024, marking an increase of 28% compared to installations in the same period a year ago.
The association’s “Clean Power Quarterly Market Report Q1 2024” also found that utility-scale solar surpassed 100 GW of installed capacity, and the first offshore wind project in federal waters began supplying 132 MW of power to the grid.
“The first quarter of 2024 set the pace for the year, underscoring both an industry that continues to break barriers and the increasing demand for clean energy solutions,” says ACP’s John Hensley.
“Crossing the 100 GW milestone for solar, launching groundbreaking projects like South Fork Wind, and a record-setting pace of new contracts for clean energy are clear indicators of the public’s demand to bolster the grid with domestic, reliable and affordable clean energy.”
The land-based wind market, despite a lackluster quarter, saw its project pipeline expand, increasing 37% year-over-year to 13.7 GW. Wyoming and New Mexico are leading the charge for the technology, supplanting longtime market leader Texas.
The association says the domestic clean power pipeline has expanded to nearly 175 GW, mainly attributed to battery storage and solar. While energy storage deployments were flat compared to the same period in the previous year, the pipeline for new storage projects increased by 61% year-over-year to 31.6 GW. The land-based wind market also saw its project pipeline expand, increasing 37% year-over-year to 13.7 GW.
U.S. clean power capacity now stands at 269,878 MW, the association added.
