At a glance
- The 16% share, as of September, equals about 41 GW of solar projects deployed this year, compared with about 2%, or 5 GW, in 2017.
- For allocators, a co-located battery shifts the diligence question from power-purchase agreement coverage to the capture-price assumption behind the storage.
- An Oct. 22 Solar Energy Industries Association report found CAISO used 2.5% more power from June through August than in the same months of 2021, while average wholesale electricity prices fell 40% after inflation.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration said Oct. 30 it expects more than 30% of new U.S. solar capacity to be paired with battery storage within two years, up from 16% as of September.
The 16% share, as of September, equals about 41 GW of solar projects deployed this year, compared with about 2%, or 5 GW, in 2017. The share has not climbed steadily: it jumped to 25% of projects in 2023, then fell over 2024 and 2025, and may reach 19% by year's end.
For allocators, a co-located battery shifts the diligence question from power-purchase agreement coverage to the capture-price assumption behind the storage. EIA said "wholesale prices in regions with large solar participation tend to fall when solar contributions are high and rise as they decrease," and that plants with both resources can manage combined output to maximize value as prices change.
An Oct. 22 Solar Energy Industries Association report found CAISO used 2.5% more power from June through August than in the same months of 2021, while average wholesale electricity prices fell 40% after inflation. ERCOT used 30.1% more power over the same period, with prices 42% lower.
Storage pairing peaked at 25% in 2023, then fell to 16%
Share of new U.S. solar capacity built with batteries; last two bars are EIA projections
Show as table
| Label | Value (%) |
|---|---|
| 2017 | 2% |
| 2023 | 25% |
| Sept. this year | 16% |
| Year-end (projected) | 19% |
| Within two years (projected) | 30% |
Reported by the Energy Transition desk from Utility Dive, U.S. Energy Information Administration, Solar Energy Industries Association and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Published . Corrections