According to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), the average construction costs of solar PV power plants in the US continue to decrease while costs for wind and gas-fired project increased slightly in 2017. The average construction cost of a solar PV power plant reached US$2,343/kW (-37% since 2013), while the cost of wind projects reached US$1,647/kW (-13% since 2013) and costs for gas-fired plants reached US$920/kW (-4.7% since 2013). These three-generation technologies accounted for more than 97% of total added capacity in 2017.
Solar costs were driven by a decrease in costs for crystalline silicon axis-based tracking panels, which reached a record low in 2017 at US$2,135/kW and represented half of the capacity additions (at 2.6 GW). Gas-fired power generation capacity was the only technology, from the main three, to record positive installation growth in 2017 (at +11% ). The growth was led by significant additions of combined-cycle facilities, with construction costs at US$896/kW (-11%). Furthermore, wind power capacity additions decreased by 34% and costs remained relatively stable.
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