Utility Solar: U.S. Market Takes Off

How are utilities adopting large-scale, centralized solar power? Who are the leading players? In this report, we present an overview of the development of utility solar in the United States with installation data, profiles of all the largest projects, and project case studies. The utility segment is now on a par with commercial and residential segments by volume and growing faster—by a factor of ten. In 2010, the segment grew nearly 400 percent to a total of 251 megawatts (MW). Utility solar is emerging as a distinct market, different from other segments in technology, geographic concentration, types of parties involved, regulatory drivers, and—crucially—challenges for project developers.

Rather than equipment sales or project announcements, this report covers commissioned installations having utilities and other purchasers of wholesale power as customers. The focus is on photovoltaic (PV) plants larger than 10 MW. The report includes comprehensive installation data for PV and concentrating solar thermal power from 2004 through the present, with early results and informed projections for 2010.

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