Discover the Latest News and Initiatives for a Sustainable Future

WASHINGTON DC, December 3, 2024 – The American Clean Power Association (ACP) today released its latest Clean Power Quarterly Market Report, detailing a surge in clean energy deployment during Q3 2024, with 10.2 GW of clean energy capacity coming online. This record-setting quarter positions the industry to achieve a historic year in 2024, underscoring the strength of American clean power.

Year-to-date installations now total 29.6 GW, representing an impressive 86 percent increase over the same period in 2023. This growth highlights how clean energy resources have solidified themselves as an affordable and reliable source of power for communities across the country. The U.S. has now deployed 294 GW of clean power capacity—enough energy to power 72 million American homes.

“American-made clean power is meeting the moment, providing the resources necessary to continue delivering affordable and reliable power to communities across the country. The record pace of clean power installations is delivering not only for the power grid but for the U.S. economy,” said John Hensley, ACP’s SVP of Markets and Policy Analysis. “The impacts of the industry’s investments are vast, keeping America competitive on the global economic stage and enhancing our energy and national security.”

Additional Key Highlights:

• Utility-Scale Solar: 6.3 GW of new solar capacity was added in Q3 alone, bringing the total to nearly 20 GW installed year-to-date. As a result, 2024 is poised to shatter the previous annual record of 21.3 GW installed in 2023.
• Energy Storage: Energy storage had another impressive quarter, adding 3.5 GW of new capacity, bringing the year-to-date total to 7.5 GW.
• States Lead the Charge: States across the country—such as Louisiana, Arkansas, and Mississippi—have joined the list of top clean power installers in Q3 2024 for the first time.
• Wind Pipeline Grows: The land-based wind pipeline saw upward movement in the third quarter, increasing three percent from the second quarter to reach 24.4 GW. The offshore wind pipeline grew to 15.5 GW in the third quarter, up 3.3 GW from the second quarter.

A scaled-down version of the report is available to the public, with the full Clean Power Quarterly Market Report | Q3 2024 available only to ACP members.

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About American Clean Power

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The American Clean Power Association (ACP) is the leading voice of today’s multi-tech clean energy industry, representing over 800 energy storage, wind, utility-scale solar, clean hydrogen and transmission companies. ACP is committed to meeting America’s national security, economic and climate goals with fast-growing, low-cost, and reliable domestic power.

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Follow ACP on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, and learn more at cleanpower.org.

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SOLAR: Cities in Michigan and Wisconsin are contracting with large utilities to provide solar power after encountering financial and logistical challenges with building rooftop solar installations. (Energy News Network)

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ALSO:

• A developer announces plans to build a 350 MW portfolio of distributed solar projects in Illinois and New York. (PV Magazine)
• Advocates from more than 30 clean energy groups call on Michigan lawmakers to pass community solar bills that continue to face opposition from large utilities. (The Gander)
• A Wisconsin school district expects to complete construction next year on a solar-plus-storage microgrid that would be the largest in the state and save about $190,000 a year in energy costs. (PV Magazine)

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GRID:

• South Dakota regulators brace for the potential grid implications of a series of hyperscale data centers as utilities emphasize a need for coal and gas to maintain reliability. (South Dakota Searchlight)
• Clean energy groups say PJM’s proposal to rush fossil fuel generation projects through the interconnection queue to maintain reliability could jeopardize state-level clean energy targets. (Inside Climate News)

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OIL & GAS: Nearly all of the 600 public comments sent to Ohio regulators in response to proposals to open a state park and two wildlife preservation areas to hydraulic fracturing oppose the plans. (Cleveland.com)

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COAL: The Sierra Club criticizes Wisconsin utilities’ plan to keep open a coal plant for three years longer than previously planned, saying that it delays the clean energy transition and exposes residents to more harmful pollutants. (Wisconsin Examiner)

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TRANSPORTATION: A majority of the recipients of a new Minnesota electric bike tax rebate went to residents making more than $100,000 a year while less than 40% of the rebates went to low-income residents. (Minnesota Reformer)

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BATTERIES: A developer breaks ground on a $110 million mixed-use housing and hotel project that would connect to a nearby $7.5 billion central Indiana battery manufacturing plant. (Indianapolis Business Journal, subscription)

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POLITICS: Establishing a fee for Minneapolis’ largest carbon emitters was one of multiple policies that the city’s mayor unsuccessfully attempted to veto in a disagreement with the more left-leaning city council. (MPR News)

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COMMENTARY:

• Minnesota consumer advocates and rural electric utilities call on state lawmakers to expand a statewide utility assistance program to benefit ratepayers year round. (Star Tribune)
• Michigan regulators should do all they can to facilitate construction on new high-voltage transmission projects to support economic growth, says the head of a conservative clean energy group. (State Journal)

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WIND: The federal Bureau of Land Management approves a downscaled version of the proposed Lava Ridge wind facility in southern Idaho amid lawmakers’ and advocates’ concerns about its impact to rural communities and a World War II Japanese American incarceration site. (Associated Press)

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SOLAR:

• California advocates say state policies limiting incentives have hampered community solar development. (Bloomberg)
• The federal Bureau of Land Management approves the proposed 390 MW Easley solar-plus-storage project in southern California. (news release)

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OIL & GAS:

• New Mexico regulators fine a Permian Basin natural gas processing facility $47.8 million — the largest such penalty in state history if upheld — for allegedly violating its permit by emitting excess greenhouse gases and health-harming and ozone-forming pollution. (Associated Press)
• Oregon regulators fine a Portland fossil fuel storage facility $372,600 for allegedly operating without a permit. (KOIN)
• Mayors in southcentral Alaska urge utilities to address a looming natural gas shortfall quickly, saying its effects could be felt as soon as this winter. (Alaska Public Media)

OVERSIGHT: Analysts say the outcome of a Utah oil-hauling railway case before the U.S. Supreme Court this week could curtail a landmark federal environmental law. (Inside Climate News)

ELECTRIFICATION:

• California advocates and lawmakers aim to hasten the closure of the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility that leaked catastrophically in 2015 by incentivizing local residents to switch to electric appliances. (Los Angeles Times)
• Washington’s building industry files a lawsuit seeking to force the state to adjust building codes to comply with a ballot measure blocking bans or restrictions on natural gas use in homes and businesses. (Center Square)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: California prepares to launch its electric bicycle incentive program for lower-income residents, but some advocates say there should be more than 1,500 vouchers available. (Electrek)

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TRANSPORTATION: Colorado’s largest public transit agency breaks ground on bus rapid transit projects in the Denver area as a lower-cost alternative to new commuter or light rail lines. (Colorado Sun)

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GRID: NV Energy proposes a rate increase to pay for its Greenlink West and North transmission projects, saying the projected construction cost has doubled to more than $4.2 billion. (Nevada Independent)

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CLEAN ENERGY: New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham says an influx of federal funding and private investments are making the state a clean energy generation and manufacturing powerhouse. (Albuquerque Journal)

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COAL: Residents of the Black Mesa area on the Navajo Nation create a nonprofit aimed at bringing a just transition to communities in the historic coal mining region. (Arizona Republic)

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UTILITIES: Avangrid asks the New Mexico Supreme Court to vacate regulators’ order blocking its proposed merger with the state’s largest utility. (Santa Fe New Mexican)

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COMMENTARY: A Nevada columnist urges lawmakers to consider data centers’ rapid growth in the state and address their high energy and water consumption. (Nevada Independent)

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CLIMATE: New Hampshire’s new climate plan is unlikely to include emissions reduction targets, and will instead focus on voluntary measures, use of federal funds, and market-based solutions. (NHPR)

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ALSO:

• The Biden administration asks the U.S. Supreme Court to continue allowing states to sue big oil companies they accuse of deceiving the public about the climate impacts of fossil fuels. (The Well News)
• Climate advocates hold 10 rallies around New York, calling on leaders to pass climate legislation that will help “Trump-proof” the state. (Times Union)
• A Maryland advisory committee declines to recommend a cap-and-invest system, fees for fossil fuel companies, and other measures to combat climate change, instead voting to study the options. (Maryland Matters)

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SOLAR: Commissioners in one Maryland county vote to tighten the requirements for solar installations on agricultural land as they face a flurry of interest from developers. (Baltimore Sun, subscription)

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GEOTHERMAL: Communities in Massachusetts and Vermont are among those awarded federal funding to support the construction of geothermal heating and cooling networks. (Smart Cities Dive)

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FOSSIL FUELS: A Pennsylvania oil and gas company will pay $2 million and reduce emissions at 49 facilities as part of a settlement of alleged Clean Air Act violations. (Allegheny Front)

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BIOFUELS: In New York, biofuels suppliers tout their product as a lower-emissions option, though some worry their use would only slow progress toward electrification. (Times Union)

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UTILITIES:

• A New York utility will pay a $1.5 million settlement for “abandoning” community choice aggregation customers by attempting to terminate their contracts early. (Times Union)
• Eversource says its recent credit downgrade will increase costs for customers, firing back at a New Hampshire consumer advocate who claims the utility has only itself to blame for the change. (InDepthNH)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: A New Jersey legislative committee votes for a two-year delay on the implementation of a rule that would require increasing sales of battery-powered vehicles. (NJ Spotlight News)

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EFFICIENCY: Connecticut launches a pilot providing funding, training, and expertise to small manufacturing companies looking to implement energy efficiency measures or use renewable energy. (Hartford Business Journal)

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COMMENTARY: The renewable energy industry in Maine has a positive effect on the economy and creates stable, good-paying jobs, and should not be blamed for rising energy costs, says the cofounder of a solar company. (Bangor Daily News, subscription)

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CLEAN ENERGY: While the Project 2025 policy blueprint calls for eliminating the Energy Department’s Loan Programs Office, Republican lawmakers are uncertain, with some saying the program, which turned a profit last year, could be retooled to emphasize energy sources like nuclear that are favored by conservatives. (E&E News, New York Times archive)

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ALSO:

• The Loan Programs Office announces a $7.54 billion loan for an electric vehicle battery plant in Kokomo, Indiana, though it is uncertain whether it will be finalized before President-elect Trump takes office. (Reuters)
• A $4.9 billion federal loan guarantee for a major Midwest transmission project faces uncertainty about whether the Trump administration will follow through with the commitment. (Canary Media)
• Duke Energy has paused consideration of whether to apply for infrastructure funding through the Loan Programs Office, citing uncertainty about the program’s future. (Utility Dive)

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EQUITY: Advocates say anticipated Trump administration climate rollbacks, particularly the expected elimination of the Justice40 initiative, will hit Black communities especially hard. (Capital B News)

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EMISSIONS: The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative offers a model of successful state-led action on decarbonization, and is considering ways to expand participation as Trump pledges to roll back federal climate policies. (Energy News Network)

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STORAGE: Duke Energy moves to demolish the final units of a former coal plant in North Carolina and replace it with a 167 MW battery storage facility, marking a step toward renewables even though the utility still plans to build gas-fired power elsewhere. (Canary Media)

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WIND: A federal agency identifies environmental measures it will likely take in a group of six offshore wind lease areas off New York, pushing ahead despite Trump’s claims he will stop offshore wind development. (Maritime Executive)

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NUCLEAR: A Tennessee city that’s historically been a hotspot for nuclear research is seeing a resurgence of interest from companies eager to take part in a new “nuclear renaissance.” (Knoxville News Sentinel)

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PIPELINES: Whistleblowers warn the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration is “putting profit over safety” by largely relying on private inspectors hired by pipeline companies to monitor compliance with safety rules. (E&E News)

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COAL: Wyoming and Montana join a lawsuit accusing three investment firms of following a “climate activist agenda” by colluding to acquire large stakes in publicly held coal companies and forcing the firms to slash Powder River Basin mine production. (Cowboy State Daily)  

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EFFICIENCY: A Minneapolis nonprofit is leading the construction of passive homes on the city’s north side that aim to save homeowners with minimal electric and heating bills. (Sahan Journal)

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COMMENTARY: A Western journalist says the incoming Trump administration’s pro-drilling agenda will harm the environment while doing little to bolster oil and gas production — which reached record levels under Biden. (Land Desk)

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COAL: Wyoming and Montana join a lawsuit accusing three investment firms of following a “climate activist agenda” by colluding to acquire large stakes in publicly held coal companies and forcing the firms to slash Powder River Basin mine production. (Cowboy State Daily)  

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OIL & GAS: Petroleum firms appeal a court order barring the federal Bureau of Land Management from issuing drilling permits for a Wyoming oil and gas project. (E&E News, subscription)

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SOLAR:

• A New Mexico county is set to consider a contested proposed 96 MW solar-plus-storage development on private land near Santa Fe. (Santa Fe New Mexican)
• Oregon’s largest utility agrees to purchase power from a 120 MW solar installation under construction in the northeastern part of the state. (news release)
• A firm proposing to establish a solar cell manufacturing facility in New Mexico says it will now lease a module-production site while it evaluates its long-term objectives. (KOB)

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BIOFUELS: Advocates push back on California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal to expand ethanol-blending in gasoline, saying it is unlikely to lower fuel prices and could have environmental impacts in corn-growing regions. (Inside Climate News)

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UTILITIES:

• Colorado advocates, residents and regulators debate Xcel Energy’s proposed time-of-use rate changes. (CPR)
• Arizona utility Salt River Project proposes a 2.4% rate increase to support grid upgrades. (news release)

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CLIMATE: Portland, Oregon, officials launch an online climate dashboard allowing residents to track local greenhouse gas emissions and local progress toward decarbonization targets. (OPB)  

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OVERSIGHT: California Gov. Gavin Newsom asks state lawmakers to allocate $25 million to fund litigation defending state climate, environmental and other progressive policies from the incoming Trump administration’s expected challenges. (Los Angeles Times)

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MINING: A southeastern Utah copper mine lays off more than 55% of its workforce as it moves forward on a “significant restructuring effort.” (San Juan Record News)

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PUBLIC LANDS: Wyoming advocates worry the incoming Republican-dominated Congress will overturn the Biden administration’s plan to tighten oil and gas drilling rules on 3.6 million acres of public land in the southwestern part of the state. (WyoFile)

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COMMENTARY:

• An Alaska editorial board urges officials to abandon a proposed natural gas pipeline and export terminal, saying it is financially infeasible and is taking resources away from other projects and services. (Anchorage Daily News)
• A Western journalist says the incoming Trump administration’s pro-drilling agenda will harm the environment while doing little to bolster oil and gas production — which reached record levels under Biden. (Land Desk)

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OFFSHORE WIND: A planned 114-turbine wind farm off Maryland receives final federal approval, but still faces local opposition and likely hostility from President-elect Donald Trump. (Maryland Matters)

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RENEWABLES: New York state executes contracts for 23 renewable energy projects expected to reduce emissions by 2.3 million metric tons annually. (Renewable Energy Magazine)

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BATTERIES: A company making zinc-based, long-duration batteries will use a $300 million federal loan guarantee to expand its Pennsylvania manufacturing facility to address a backlog of orders. (Utility Dive)

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SOLAR:

• Maine releases a new draft of rules that would require solar developers to pay a fee for developing projects on valuable farmland, adding blueberry barrens to the list of property types that could incur the charge. (Bangor Daily News, subscription)
• Pennsylvania is now accepting applications for a new grant program that will pay 50% of the cost to install solar panels on schools, and offering free technical assistance to potential applicants. (PennWatch)
• New Jersey issues its first permit authorizing a company to recycle solar panels, recovering valuable materials such as glass, silicon, and aluminum. (New Jersey Business Magazine)

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: The Canadian company that supplied electric school buses causing problems for several Maine school districts is on the brink of bankruptcy. (Portland Press Herald, subscription)

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EMISSIONS: The company that owns the Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania, which is looking to restart to sell power to Microsoft, routinely ranks among the U.S. power producers generating the lowest carbon emissions. (The Well)

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EFFICIENCY: An affordable housing project in New Haven, Connecticut, includes $900,000 to complete energy efficiency retrofits for 30 existing homes in the neighborhood of the new units. (Connecticut Public Radio)

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ELECTRIFICATION: New York launches a $10 million program to help advance cold-climate heat pump technology by funding manufacturers developing the products and field demonstration projects in large buildings. (Facility Executive)

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COMMENTARY:

• New York City’s congestion pricing plan will help reduce transportation emissions, make the air safer to breathe, and position the city as a leader in sustainable planning, says an urban planner. (City Limits)
• Massachusetts’ plan to include layover tracks for diesel trains in a Boston neighborhood as part of an ongoing rail project will expose an already overburdened community to more black carbon emissions, say two transportation experts. (CommonWealth Beacon)

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BIOFUELS: A Colorado power plant fueled by shredded beetle-killed trees shuts down, putting wildfire mitigation efforts on hold and raising questions about the viability of biofuel-generated electricity. (Colorado Sun)

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SOLAR:

• The U.S. Energy Department awards a Nevada firm up to $95 million to fund solar-plus-storage installations totaling 100 MW in capacity at two of its gold mines in the state. (Government Technology)  
• Developers bring the 125 MW Yellow Pine solar project online in southern Nevada, with a portion of the power going to a California community choice aggregator. (news release)

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GEOTHERMAL: A Nevada gold mine considers adding geothermal generation to an existing natural gas plant in an effort to decarbonize its operations. (news release)

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EFFICIENCY: An Alaska-backed housing lender offers $10,000 rebates for new energy-efficient homes. (Alaska Public Media)

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UTILITIES:

• Wyoming lawmakers kill legislation that would limit utilities’ wildfire-related liabilities if they conduct hazard mitigation work, saying the bill was too complex to advance. (WyoFile)
• California advocates question the efficacy and viability of utilities’ wildfire hazard mitigation efforts, saying burying power lines is too costly and takes too long. (CalMatters)
• Portland General Electric says rising wholesale power costs are driving rate hikes after U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden queried the utility over rising utility bills. (RTO Insider, subscription)

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CLIMATE: Climate change-exacerbated extreme heat adds urgency to efforts to bring electricity to some 13,000 off-grid Navajo Nation homes. (KUNR)  

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: California startup Aptera launches a crowdfunding campaign to bring its solar-powered electric vehicle to production. (Inside EVs)

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BATTERIES: A California startup plans to begin manufacturing lithium-sulfur batteries at its Bay Area facility next year, saying they are cheaper and require less mined material than lithium-ion ones. (Heatmap)

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TRANSITION: Los Angeles County votes to develop a plan aimed at helping displaced workers and communities weather Phillips 66’s petroleum refinery’s planned 2025 closure. (Daily Breeze)

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TRANSPORTATION: Colorado officials expect a proposal to extend a passenger rail line to the northwestern part of the state will survive the incoming Trump administration’s funding cuts. (Aspen Times)

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POLITICS: U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva, of Arizona, steps down as the House Natural Resources Committee’s ranking Democrat, which oversees energy development and mining on federal lands. (Arizona Capitol Times)

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COMMENTARY:

• A Colorado advocate says the incoming Trump administration cannot stop the state from fighting climate change, protecting public lands from oil and gas drilling and enacting air pollution regulations. (Colorado Newsline)
• A commentator calls for the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant’s closure, and suggests replacing lost generation with California’s excess solar power. (Counterpunch)

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CLEAN ENERGY: New York added 7,700 clean energy jobs from 2022 to 2023 — a record increase — with especially significant jumps in the electric vehicle and clean transportation sectors. (WGRZ)

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GRID: Renewable energy developers urge PJM to drop a plan to fast-track approval for select generating projects, saying the process would unfairly advantage fossil fuel and nuclear plants. (Utility Dive)

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OFFSHORE WIND:

• After receiving final federal approval, planners of an 100-turbine offshore wind project off Maryland and Delaware announce their intention to start onshore construction in 2026, but the project still needs approval from Delaware agencies to bring transmission lines ashore in the state. (The Daily Record, Delaware Business Times)
• Universities in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and New York are among those sharing in $18 million in federal grants for research into improving marine energy and offshore wind technology. (news release)

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SOLAR: New Jersey regulators prepare to solicit 250 MW of community solar capacity in 2025, amid concerns that President-elect Trump could change crucial tax credits, complicating the economics of the projects. (RTO Insider, subscription)

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CLIMATE: Vermont’s state environmental agency has identified $160 million in promised federal funding that could be clawed back by the incoming administration, including money supporting the transition off fossil fuels and helping low-income households go solar. (New Hampshire Public Radio)

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BATTERIES: With more than a dozen battery storage projects planned on Staten Island, including one that would be New York City’s largest, locals worry about fire safety and proximity to homes and businesses. (SIlive.com)

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TRANSMISSION: Stakeholders across New England widely support a plan to seek proposals to increase transmission capacity in New Hampshire and Maine, the first project to emerge from the region’s new long-term transmission planning process. (RTO Insider, subscription)

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EFFICIENCY: A Massachusetts company aims to use modular construction to build affordable, net-zero homes that can also help address housing shortages. (Christian Science Monitor)

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TRANSIT: Establishing an electrified commuter rail line from Boston to the western Massachusetts city of North Adams could attract hundreds of daily riders but would cost hundreds of millions of dollars, a state report concludes. (Greenfield Recorder)

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INDUSTRY: A Massachusetts company completes negotiations for a $87 million federal award that will enable it to build a manufacturing plant that produces cement without using conventional fossil fuel-fired kilns. (news release)

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CLEAN ENERGY: The Biden administration says it has handed out $100 billion in Inflation Reduction Act grants, and is on track to allocate more than 80% of available funds by the time President-elect Trump takes office. (Reuters)

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ALSO:

• More Republican Congress members say they’d prefer to take a “scalpel, not a hatchet,” to the Inflation Reduction Act, fearing a large-scale repeal of tax credits would jeopardize projects already in motion. (E&E News)
• The U.S. Energy Department office that has approved nearly $55 billion in loans to help clean energy companies scale up is racing to get “dollars out the door” before the Trump administration potentially halts the program. (Canary Media)
• The Biden administration awards $1.2 billion for states to build infrastructure with cleaner materials, but much of that funding will still be in limbo when Trump takes office. (Canary Media)

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UTILITIES:

• Analysts and experts say utilities should scale up time-of-use rates and other programs to help manage load growth from electric vehicles before major investments in distribution infrastructure. (Utility Dive)
• A North Carolina city sues Duke Energy, alleging the utility stalled the transition to renewables and continued emitting greenhouse gases for decades by deceiving the public about climate change. (Floodlight)

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GRID:

• Renewable energy developers urge PJM to drop a plan to fast-track approval for select generating projects, saying the process would unfairly advantage fossil fuel and nuclear plants. (Utility Dive)
• Consumer advocates in Illinois and Ohio are also pushing back against the plan that would prioritize natural gas projects, saying PJM has historically overestimated load growth. (E&E News)

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OFFSHORE WIND:

• Planners of an 100-turbine offshore wind project off Maryland and Delaware announce their intention to start onshore construction in 2026, but the project still needs approval from Delaware agencies to bring transmission lines ashore in the state. (The Daily Record, Delaware Business Times)

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LITHIUM: California environmental justice advocates call on lithium extraction firms in the Imperial Valley to sign legally binding agreements to provide local jobs, protect health and the environment and respect tribal nations’ rights. (KPBS)

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OIL & GAS: U.S. Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch recuses himself from a case related to a proposed Utah oil-hauling rail line following criticism of his ties to Colorado petroleum magnate Philip Anschutz. (CNN)

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CLIMATE: Experts say climate change contributed heavily to rising inflation in the last two years, as extreme weather shut down oil refineries and compromised food production. (Grist)

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