O&M advancements keep large-scale solar + storage projects humming

While the residential solar market has taken a hit from new incentive regimes in the largest solar state, the large-scale solar sector is still on the upswing. IRA incentives for medium and large projects have spurred new proposals — a Berkeley Labs study found developers submitted over 1,100 GW of solar, storage and wind project interconnection requests since the IRA’s passage.

“The IRA supercharged the already-vigorous market for clean energy and storage development,” said Nick Manderlink, a co-author of the new Berkeley Labs report, in a press release.

Another study by the SUN DAY Campaign found utility-scale solar was the largest source of U.S. electrical generating capacity for six months straight.

“Without question, solar is on a roll as it surpasses FERC’s expectations and leads all other energy sources in providing new generating capacity,” said SUN DAY Campaign executive director Ken Bossong in a press release. “Including distributed solar, the mix of all renewables is poised to surpass natural gas capacity within the next few years.”

This growth will be further boosted by new federal rules for renewable energy projects on public lands that reduce fees and simplify development on these tracts.

While new project announcements and developments may be the most exciting part, keeping these renewable energy projects running at their full potential for their long lifespans is an important piece of the story too. That’s why we dedicate this issue each year to solar + storage operations and maintenance — exploring the ways developers can make sure projects are protected from the elements, monitored for abnormalities and set up for success.

In this issue, we also explore the latest in U.S. solar manufacturing developments spurred by the IRA, with a special focus on the new Solar Valley — Texas. One city in the Lone Star State will soon be the most concentrated area in the United States for solar panel manufacturing.

Utility-scale solar is booming, along with new technologies and techniques to ensure projects meet all their performance metrics and keep producing power for many years.

Kelsey Misbrener
Managing Editor
kmisbrener@wtwhmedia.com