The Energy Information Administration (EIA) predicted that U.S. developers will install 54.5 GW of new electric generating capacity in 2023, with more than half coming from solar energy.
In 2022, every sector of the solar industry but residential saw year-over-year declines in installed capacity growth as the industry struggled with impacts of different state policy decisions and ongoing global supply chain disruptions.
The Biden administration's Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which provides nearly $370 billion for climate change and clean energy initiatives, is expected to boost the domestic solar industry.
"We expect that some of those delayed 2022 projects will begin operating in 2023, when developers plan to install 29.1 GW of solar power in the United States," EIA said. That would represent about 53% of the planned new capacity.
This year, Texas and California are predicted to add the greatest new solar capacity, with 7.7 GW and 4.2 GW, respectively. These two states are expected to account for 41% of the planned additions.
If all projects come online as scheduled, the new utility-scale solar capacity added in 2023 will be the greatest in a single year, more than doubling the current record of 13.4 GW in 2021, EIA said.
According to the EIA, developers also want to add 9.4 GW of battery storage capacity in 2023 to the existing 8.8 GW of battery storage capacity in the United States, as well as 6.0 GW of wind capacity.