As we close out a turbulent 2025, the country’s utility-scale solar sector can notch some victories, but caution remains as the cost landscape evolves.

Below, we examine two new reports from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) and one from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory that reveal a sector experiencing historic growth and operational efficiency improvements, yet facing a mounting cost challenge that demands an innovative technological response. For project developers and engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) firms, understanding these dynamics will be essential to maintaining profitability and competitiveness in 2026 and beyond.

Utility Solar Growth Amid Improved Timelines, Evolving Cost Landscape

Berkeley Lab’s new 2025 data update shows that 2024 set a record for capacity additions with 30 GW of new utility-scale solar capacity coming online, a 56% increase over 2023. This momentum has carried over so far in 2025, too, with the EIA’s latest Electric Power Monthly reporting that utility solar expanded by 35.8% during the first nine months of the year, extending one of the most substantial growth periods for this sector. If this rate of growth continues, 2025 will end with an expansion of 47.7%, nearly matching 2024’s record increase. The consistent growth is occurring amidst policy turbulence and supply chain challenges, underscoring the sector's resilience, solar’s strong value proposition, and the growing demand for clean energy infrastructure.

Another encouraging trend emerging from recent EIA data is the reduction in delays for utility-scale solar projects. Analysis of EIA’s data shows that solar projects representing approximately 20% of planned capacity reported delays during the third quarter of 2025, down from 25% during the same period in 2024. This five-percentage-point drop represents a major achievement in an industry that has struggled for years with interconnection bottlenecks, and comes despite a relatively high number of projects reporting delays throughout 2024. 

The fact that record capacity additions occurred alongside major challenges underscores the industry's growing maturity as well as developers’ ability to navigate complex permitting, interconnection, and construction processes more effectively. Still, additional progress must be made on the policy front to further streamline the red tape causing delays.

Despite these operational successes, a critical cost challenge has arisen that threatens to undermine the sector’s momentum. Along with its updated utility capacity 2024 numbers, Berkeley Lab’s report also found that the national average levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) for utility-scale solar PV projects increased 13% from 2023’s average. The spike was driven by rising financing costs and capital expenditures (CAPEX), as well as underperforming system generation estimates. The escalation coinciding with a period of expanded capacity deployment and improving project execution timelines suggests that cost pressures are outpacing gains in outdated efficiency and scale. 

As financing and construction costs increase, project returns diminish, making proposed installations less attractive to investors and ultimately slowing the pace at which new capacity comes online. For EPC firms, this dynamic creates both risk and opportunity: risk of project deferrals or cancellations, but also opportunity for firms that can identify and implement genuine cost-reduction strategies that differentiate their project offerings.

The N-Type TOPCon Pathway to Offset Rising LCOE

Engineering and procurement teams working on utility-scale installations must pursue technological innovations that can offset rising costs and improve overall project economics. Trinasolar’s 720W Vertex N PV modules provide up to 23.2% efficiency with n-type TOPCon advanced cell technology and offer the most promising pathway for LCOE management. 

EPCs deploying these large-format modules (LFMs) can use high-power, low-voltage system designs that yield multiple economic benefits. This high-power, low-voltage approach cuts balance-of-system (BOS) costs by reducing the number of system components and labor hours, and simplifying installation complexity. The resulting reduction in overall LCOE can offset the other cost pressures affecting the industry and improve project returns, making Vertex N modules the best option for new utility-scale solar projects.

Beyond direct cost reduction, Vertex N offers another economic advantage since the modules exhibit ultra-low degradation rates over time, meaning that power output declines more gradually over the system's operational lifespan. For projects evaluated on a levelized cost basis across 25 or 30 years, the superior performance and stability of Vertex N modules can enhance project economics by delivering more consistent energy generation later in the system’s life, when power revenues contribute more to overall project returns.

Interested in learning more about how Trinasolar’s Vertex N can help lower LCOE for utility-scale solar projects? Contact our local team today!

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