The U.S. solar industry expects to add a record 32 gigawatts (GW) of new capacity in 2023, increasing 52 percent from 2022, according to a report released by the Solar Energy Industries Association and consultancy company Wood Mackenzie on Thursday.
The U.S. solar industry installed 5.6 gigawatts-direct current (GWdc) of capacity in the second quarter of 2023, a 20 percent increase from the same period of 2022 and an 8 percent decrease from the first quarter of 2023, said the U.S. Solar Market Insight Q3 2023 report.
2023 volumes in the United States are set to grow year over year, reversing the contraction the industry experienced in 2022, the report said.
Wood Mackenzie expected total operating solar capacity to grow from 153 GW currently to 375 GW by 2028 and gave the credit to the industry's slow recovery from the supply chain constraints in 2022.
According to Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association, the United States has become a "dominant player in the global clean energy economy," and states like Florida, Texas, Ohio, and Georgia "are at the forefront of this job growth and economic prosperity."
The report also highlighted the surge of investment in the field, noting that if all new domestic manufacturing investments announced so far materialized, by 2026 U.S. solar module manufacturing output would be 10 times greater than it is today.
Editor: Galia
