With solar accounting for 43% of new generation capacity in the U.S. in 2020—an industry record—the kWh Analytics’ Solar Risk Assessment report is more important than ever to maintain the collective credibility of the solar industry. The third annual installment of the Solar Risk Assessment highlights work needed to mitigate financial, operating and natural catastrophe risks. The 2021 report includes articles from industry experts in solar production risk, including kWh Analytics, Clean Power Research, Wood Mackenzie, BloombergNEF, Canadian Solar, Nextracker and more.
Clean Power Research contributed an article highlighting the impacts of 2020 wildfires on solar energy production in the Western U.S. (see page 18). Using data from our most recent SolarAnywhere® Data release (version 3.5), we calculated that regions such as the California Central Valley and the Oregon Columbia River Basin experienced a nearly 20% reduction in monthly insolation during September 2020. While the study highlights the potential production risk from wildfires, the data can also be used to more accurately assess annual generation variability—important information for equity and debt investors, project developers and offtakers.
Read all 14 reports in the 2021 Solar Risk Assessment to gain the latest insights on the evolution of solar generation risk.