US added 3.5 GW of energy storage in record quarter for renewables

The United States added 3.5 GW of grid-scale energy storage capacity during what industry body the ACP claims was a record-breaking third quarter for clean energy installations.

Those projects took the nine-month 2024 figure for the United States to 7.5 GW and the ACP reported the nation has more than 39,235 MW of grid-scale storage in the development pipeline, with 15,987 MW of it under construction.

The ACP said the energy storage facilities were part of a record 10.2 GW of new clean energy-related capacity which was added in the July-to-September period, for a nine-month total of 29.6 GW, up 86% from January-to-September 2023.

The United States has installed a cumulative 294 GW of clean power capacity, enough to supply 72 million American homes, said the ACP. Five states have more than 10 GW of active clean energy capacity: Florida, Iowa, Oklahoma, Texas, and California.

“The record pace of clean power installations is delivering not only for the power grid but for the US economy,” said John Hensley, ACP senior vice president of markets and policy analysis. “The impacts of the industry’s investments are vast, keeping America competitive on the global economic stage and enhancing our energy and national security.”

Utility-scale solar was the leading technology among clean energy additions, with 6.3 GW coming online in Q3 and nearly 20 GW for the first three quarters of 2024. For context, 21.3 GW of utility-scale solar was activated throughout all of 2023, suggesting 2024 will shatter the previous annual record.

The pipeline of proposed utility-scale solar projects is enormous. ACP noted just under 10 GW (90,944 MW) of big solar, across 938 projects, was either under construction or in advanced stages of development. That represents around 9% year-over-year growth. More than 41 GW of utility-scale solar was actively under construction, the report indicated.

Cumulatively, 19.5 GW of solar was commissioned in the first three quarters of 2024, more than double the amount compared to the same period of 2023. Around 39% of 2024’s third-quarter solar development took place in Texas.

TotalEnergies’ Danish Fields Solar site was the largest utility-scale solar project brought online during the third quarter. Located in Matagorda County, Texas, the project has a generation capacity of 600 MW and is paired with a 150 MW/225 MWh battery energy storage system that also became operational during the quarter.

During Q3, 2024, developers announced more than 6.8 GW of power purchase agreements (PPAs). The PPAs related to 5,419 MW of solar, 735 MW of battery storage, and 692 MW of onshore wind.

“American-made clean power is meeting the moment, providing the resources necessary to continue delivering affordable and reliable power to communities across the country,” said ACP’s Hensley.

From pv magazine USA.