American Clean Power 3Q market report shows record clean energy capacity growth in 2021

The Clean Power Quarterly 2021 Q3 Market Report, released by the American Clean Power Association (ACP), shows the U.S. clean energy industry installed 3,336 MW of new capacity during the third quarter, with additions totalling 15,317 MW in the first three quarters, a 23 percent increase compared to 2020.

Demand for clean power continues to rise with power purchasers and project developers announcing 9,054 MW of new Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) in the third quarter. Overall, a total of 17,442 MW of PPAs have been announced in 2021, a 16 percent increase compared to the same period in 2020. Project owners commissioned a total of 49 new projects across 20 states during the quarter, this includes 7 new wind projects, 34 utility-scale solar projects, and 8 energy storage projects. These new clean energy projects represent $23 billion in clean energy infrastructure investment. Corporate customers have announced over 37,000 MW of clean power PPAs in total after signing up another 1,761 MW of clean power PPAs during the quarter.

The top 5 corporate buyers of clean power in the quarter include Amazon (509 MW), Facebook (450 MW), Microsoft (430MW), Mitsui & Co. (159 MW), and Dupont (135 MW). The top five states for third quarter additions include Texas (1,679 MW), California (389 MW), Wyoming (301 MW), Oklahoma (287 MW) and Alabama (227MW).

 

At the end of September, the near-term development pipeline consisted of over 900 projects totaling 109,596 MW of capacity, including 38,122 MW under construction and 71,474 MW in advanced development. This is 28 percent higher than the first quarter of 2021 and 7 percent higher than the second quarter.
 
Solar represents the largest share of capacity in the clean power pipeline, accounting for 54 percent, followed by land-based wind at 23 percent, offshore wind at 13 percent, and battery storage at 9 percent.