According to data released by the U.S. Energy Administration (EIA), the newly installed photovoltaic capacity in the United States was only 5.3GW in the first quarter, accounting for 22% of the 24.7GW installed capacity expected to be put into operation throughout the year. However, PV additions typically accelerate over the course of the year.
User PV installations grew strongly in the first quarter, reaching 1.3GW, up 36% year-on-year and 44% higher than the previous quarter. Last year, residential PV installers had to delay the installation of new systems until the first quarter of 2022 due to labor shortages. Module supply is not a major limiting factor for this segment, as buyers can afford to pay high prices.
In contrast, developers of large-scale ground-mounted PV projects have had a harder time securing sufficient supply of modules, due to trade barriers to US imports and certain restrictions on shipping and logistics. The large-scale ground-mounted PV sector added only 3.4GW of new project capacity in the first quarter.
