The U.S. saw one of the strongest second quarters on record for utility-scale solar power capacity additions in 2020, adding 1,655 MW, according to the most recent market report by Standard & Poors. By comparison, the industry added 571 MW in Q2’19 and 645 MW in Q2’18. The U.S. now has 42,267 MW of total installed utility-scale solar power capacity, more than three times the amount five years ago. Sixteen solar projects came online in Q2’20, with the 300 MW Prospero Solar Energy project in Andrews County, Texas the largest, and two others over 100 MW.
The report lists another seven that were announced in Q2, for another 565 MW.
Planned solar projects in advanced development or under construction in the US
For most of the current energy system the company forecasts a rapid energy transition between now and 2050 – effectively, within a generation. By mid-century it expects to see an energy mix split roughly equally between fossil and non-fossil sources. There is a massive, ongoing electrification of the global energy system; where electricity is less than 20% of the energy mix today, it will more than double its share by 2050. During that period, solar PV will grow 25-fold and wind 10-fold, and in roughly equal shares will together be responsible for over 60% of the electricity generated by 2050.
The company’s projection is a single “best estimate,” rather than a set of scenarios, based on modelling inputs of population and economic growth, demand, anticipated policy developments worldwide, and others.