US ITC Deadline Pushing 32 GW Of Utility-Scale Solar Online

More than 32 GW of utility-scale solar is expected to come online in the United States ahead of the December 31, 2016 investment tax credit cut-off date, according to IHS.

IHS, long-held as the leading source of global solar data and analysis, revealed that it appears the 30% investment tax credit (ITC) deadline is driving “a notable increase in the number of [PV] projects in the United States aiming to be operational.” Analysis by IHS found that over 32 GWE of projects larger than 5 MW are currently in development or under construction.

And, in a completely unsurprising turn of events, the main bulk of these projects are being developed in California, though there are several other states that are making strong headway.

One of the main issues facing developers at the moment is the lengthy delays in permitting or approval, caused by a number of environmental issues such as endangered species, and location issues such as Native American tribes fearing damage to ancestral homeland sites.

“Newly proposed projects appear to be primarily located in less contentious areas and developed at sizes that are likely to promote a high potential for success in a short time,” said Christine Beadle, senior analyst for IHS Technology. “Recent project approvals by the Bureau of Land Management encourage installations in designated Solar Energy Zones.”

IHS also revealed information from its Solar Deal Tracker that showed 1.5 GW of Hanwha Q Cells modules will be installed in the US by the end of 2016, across several states, including California, Georgia, Florida, and Hawaii.

“Canadian Solar dramatically increased its project pipeline in the United States, with the company’s recent acquisition of Recurrent Energy,” added Beadle. “Many of these projects are set to be completed prior to the 2016 deadline, including a 150 MW project for Austin Energy in Texas and several other projects in California.”