The amount of new solar capacity added in the US increased by 51% last year – with deployment soaring, there are four steps solar farm operators can take to protect their assets from fire risk.
The last year saw a record amount of solar installations in the US, with 32.4GWdc of new capacity added in 2023, according to figures from the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and Wood Mackenzie. It represents a massive 51% increase on the total number of installations in 2022.
New solar capacity is being added in the US at a much more rapid rate than new wind installations. In 2023, photovoltaic solar accounted for 53% of all new electricity-generating capacity additions, with wind accounting for just 13%. The three states that installed the most new solar capacity in 2023 were:
- Texas (which installed 6,533MWdc)
- California (6,171MWdc)
- Florida (3,218MWdc)
This represents a re-ordering of the top US states for solar installations. In 2022,
California installed the most new solar capacity (with 5,115MWdc), followed by Texas (3,489MWdc) and Florida (2,058MWdc). Up to the end of Q3, California had installed the most solar capacity of any US state in 2023, but as the SEIA and Wood Mackenzie highlighted, in the residential segment, the state saw a 35% quarterly drop in capacity in Q4 as “installers depleted backlogs of sales made under NEM 2.0 [California’s net metering policy]”.
The year 2023 was only the second time that Texas has outranked California for annual solar installations – the first time was in 2021. The surge in Texas solar installations is being driven by utility-scale projects, which accounted for nearly 4 GWdc in Q4 2023 alone.
US Utility-Scale Installations Increase by 77%
The utility-scale segment installed a record-breaking 22.5 GWdc in 2023, representing 77% annual growth and nearly 10 GWdc more than 2022. More than 10 GWdc was installed in the fourth quarter of 2023 alone. “This growth underscores the market impact of supply chain constraints in 2022,” the SEIA and Wood Mackenzie report said. “Many of the projects completed in 2023 represent delayed buildout of 2022 pipelines.”
It is forecast that US solar installations will continue to steadily increase in the coming years, with around 38GWdc added in 2024, according to the SEIA and Wood Mackenzie. Approximately 40 GW will be added in 2025, just over 40 GW in 2026 and around 42GW in 2027.
Solar Fire Risk is Being Underestimated
Given the dramatic increase in US solar deployment, it is crucial that solar farm operators prioritize taking extra steps to protect their assets. Such steps include implementing fire suppression systems and conducting fire risk assessments. Studies have shown that solar fires are potentially being underestimated due to under-reporting and a lack of available data.
A study conducted by the UK’s BRE National Solar Centre concluded that researchers “strongly suspect a degree of under-reporting, especially amongst solar farms and domestic thermal events that were resolved by a solar installer/maintenance engineer.”
4 Ways to Minimize Solar Farm Fire Risk
How can solar farm operators minimize fire risks at solar farms? There are four recommended actions. A study completed by TÜV Rheinland, a European testing and certification company, which has been cited by the US Department of Energy’s Solar Energy Technologies Office, outlined four steps. They are:
- Regular testing of solar systems by independent third parties
- Creating standardized quality assurance measures
- Incorporating additional safety components
- Promptly replacing any prematurely aged or defective components
Another recommended action is installing fire suppression systems in components, such as inverters, that pose a higher risk of fire. Thank you for taking the initiative to learn more about fire safety— it is critical to assess the level of fire risk at solar farms and understand what precautions and risk mitigation measures to implement.