US Utility-Scale Solar Plants Surge: Full List of Power Assets Online Jan‑Jun 2024

The US utility-scale solar plants that entered service between January and June 2024 signal a decisive turn for the nation’s energy mix, according to the latest EIA data. Three hundred sixty‑eight utility‑scale facilities launched, and solar dominates the tally.

US utility-scale solar plants: a half‑year snapshot

Among the newcomers, the SunZia Wind South and North projects in New Mexico stand out, not for solar but for wind, yet they frame the scale of new capacity with a combined ↑ 3,650 MW. Their debut this spring marks the largest wind farms in the country, concluding a decade‑long development cycle amid a slowdown in onshore wind approvals.

Solar installations, however, account for the bulk of the 368 entries, ranging from modest rooftop‑scale farms to sprawling desert‑based arrays exceeding 500 MW each. The rapid rollout reflects falling panel costs and aggressive state renewable mandates.

“The pace of utility‑scale solar commissioning this year is unprecedented,” says a senior analyst at Reuters.

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Natural‑gas projects also appeared, but their numbers fell ↓ 12% compared to the same period last year, underscoring a market pivot toward cleaner sources.

For a deeper dive into project specifics and regional distribution, see the full EIA spreadsheet linked in the original report.

Intel provided by: Elena Rostova

Socio-Economic Trends Analyst