US adds record 9.9 GW of wind, solar, batteries in H1

The US brought online 5.6 GW of clean power capacity in the second quarter of 2021 to reach a record 9.9 GW of installed wind, utility-scale solar, and battery storage capacity in the first half of the year.

Data released in the quarterly report of the American Clean Power (ACP) Association shows that second-quarter installations rose by 13% on the year after 5,620 MW of capacity was put on stream. The country added 2,226 MW of solar, 2,824 MW of wind and 570 MW of battery storage capacity, marking quarter-on-quarter increases in each segment. The highest growth was registered for battery storage installations, which soared by 439% sequentially.

The state that installed the most clean power capacity in the second quarter was Texas with 1,489 MW. It was followed by California with 585 MW and Michigan with 424 MW, while Florida and Kansas came next with 373 MW and 301 MW, respectively.

In the first six months of 2021, the new clean power installations rose by 17% on the year to the record-breaking 9,915 MW. The country had more than 180,216 MW of clean power capacity in operation in mid-2021, which is enough to cover the consumption of over 50 million homes.

“This growth and expansion are expected to continue but we need policymakers in Washington to make long term decisions to ensure we can continue to develop these critical projects,” said ACP’s CEO Heather Zichal.

According to ACP, the country had 906 clean power projects totalling 37,725 MW under construction at the end of June, plus some 64,172 MW in advanced development.

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