- Sep. 2nd 2021 7:38 am PT
In today’s Electrek Green Energy Brief (EGEB):
US shipments of solar panels reached a record high of 21.8 million peak kilowatts (kW) in 2020, 5.4 million peak kW more than in 2019, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).
Solar panel shipments include imports, exports, and panels produced and sold domestically.
The shipment increase occurred for the following reasons:
The federal solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC) was set to decrease from 26% to 22% at the end of 2020. Some of the solar capacity growth in 2020 was a result of a rush to get projects installed before the expected ITC decrease. However, in December 2020, Congress passed an extension of the ITC, providing a 26% tax credit for solar systems installed from 2020 to 2022 and 22% for systems installed in 2023.
The average solar shipment value dropped from $1.96 per peak watt in 2010 to $0.38 per peak watt in 2020. This was largely caused by lower supply chain costs and an oversupply of modules because of increased production.
In 2020, 89% of US solar panel shipments were imports.
Read more: Scientists develop ‘true’ bifacial solar cells with 29% power output
More onshore wind energy was installed in the US in 2020 than any other energy source, accounting for 42% of new US energy capacity, and outpacing solar for the first time in years.
The 2021 edition of the US Department of Energy’s “Land-Based Wind Market Report,” prepared by DOE’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, detailed a record 16,836 megawatts (MW) of new utility-scale land-based wind power capacity added in 2020. That represents $24.6 billion of investment in new wind power projects.
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Michelle Lewis is a writer and editor on Electrek and an editor on DroneDJ, 9to5Mac, and 9to5Google. She lives in St. Petersburg, Florida. She has previously worked for Fast Company, the Guardian, News Deeply, Time, and others. Message Michelle on Twitter or at michelle@9to5mac.com. Check out her personal blog.
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