Utility-Scale Solar 2015: An Empirical Analysis of Project Cost, Performance, and Pricing Trends in the United States
Publication Type | Report
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LBL Report Number |
LBNL- 1006037
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Abstract |
This is an outdated version of an annual report series. You can find the new report, briefing material, data visualizations and data books at the project page: https://emp.lbl.gov/utility-scale-solar/ . The utility-scale solar sector has led the overall U.S. solar market in terms of installed capacity since 2012. This report—the fourth edition in an ongoing annual series—provides data-driven analysis of the utility-scale solar project fleet in the United States. We analyze not just installed project costs or prices, but also operating costs, capacity factors, and power purchase agreement ("PPA") prices from a large sample of utility-scale solar PV and CSP projects throughout the United States. Some of the more-notable findings from this year's edition include the following:
At the end of 2015, there were at least 56.8 GW of utility-scale solar power capacity in interconnection queues across the nation. The growth within these queues has come primarily from Texas and the Southeast, Central, and Northeast regions, which is a clear sign that the utility-scale market is maturing and expanding outside of its traditional high-insolation comfort zones of California and the Southwest. |
Notes |
A recording of a 1-hour webinar on the 2015 report is available here. To see the most recent version of this report, please visit https://emp.lbl.gov/utility-scale-solar. |
Year of Publication |
2016
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