The commissioning of new solar energy plants (SPP) in the US in 2022 could be 25% lower compared to the latest forecast of the US Department of Energy.
For communal, commercial, and public solar power plants, the forecasts were reduced by experts by 33, 4, and 0.3%, respectively. The reason for this may be difficulties with the supply of components due to the global logistics crisis and restrictions on importing polysilicon from China.
Washington imposed sanctions on China in June 2021 due to the alleged use of forced labor by Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang to produce polysilicon cells.
In its January forecast, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) of the US Department of Energy noted that the country would have an additional 21.5 GW of solar power plants in 2022 for utilities – this is significantly more than the record 15.5 GW in 2021.
Almost half of the new capacity is under construction in Texas (6.1 GW, or 28% of the national total) and California (4 GW). In 2020, according to the EIA, solar power plants accounted for 3% of US electricity generation. According to the latest management estimate on January 18, 63 GW of solar energy plants were operating in the United States at the end of 2021.
S&P Global analysts also talk about the problems of the solar industry. Supply chain disruptions and rising component prices, they said, slowed the growth of the sector in its flagship the Southeast United States in 2021 and may continue as a deterrent until the end of 2022.
“Inflation in prices for polysilicon, steel, and copper will continue to maintain high prices for solar energy. Polysilicon prices have tripled over the past year, while hot-rolled steel prices have doubled. Container freight rates are still about 400% above pre-pandemic levels,” S&P Global explained in a January 21 forecast.
On January 25, a major player in the US solar industry, NextEra Energy Partners LP, reported a $10 million loss in its 2021 financial report in the fourth quarter. The company’s shares fell 3.1% in pre-market trading to $79.42. In November, NextEra Energy reported that its wholesale energy business had signed contracts for 4.3 GW of new solar panels in 2021 and 2022 in the US.