By Aftab Khan, Executive Vice President – Operations, Planning & Security
Solar output reached an all-time high in the PJM region in April, and with the continued addition of new generation resources through PJM’s streamlined process, we can expect to continue setting new solar records on a regular basis.
The nearly 12,000 MW of solar output reached on April 18 reflects the new solar generation that is coming online and the work PJM is doing to get all types of projects connected to the grid.
PJM is now more than 60% through the approximately 200,000 MW of projects – the vast majority of them solar, wind or batteries – that are part of the transition to the reformed interconnection process launched in 2023.
Approximately 63,000 MW of projects remain as part of the transition. These projects will be processed over the next 18 months, with all transition projects to be processed by the end of 2026.
More than 46,000 MW of projects now have interconnection agreements through PJM’s study process and are free to build, about 18,000 MW of that coming through the completion of the “Fast Lane” transition process earlier this year. Some are moving to construction, but others are feeling the headwinds of siting and permitting challenges and supply chain backlogs.
PJM hit the solar record in April due to the nearly 4,500 MW of solar generation added in 2024. The only other additions were 290 MW of wind and 42.5 MW of storage. Those combined numbers alone won’t address the system’s needs.
We need all the generation we can get in the PJM footprint to meet a looming imbalance in electricity demand versus electricity supply that is already affecting both reliability and affordability of the power system. Electricity demand continues to grow at unprecedented rates, while existing generators continue to retire due to government policies and economics, and new generation to replace them is not getting built fast enough to fill the gap.
With the completion of the interconnection queue backlog approaching, new generation projects will enter PJM’s reformed interconnection Cycle process in the spring of 2026. The Cycle process gives developers the certainty of a one- to two-year turnaround, while PJM continues to work to further reduce this study time on multiple fronts, including a collaboration with Google/Tapestry to harness the power of artificial intelligence in our planning processes. PJM has also developed its own array of smart tools that have allowed our engineers to process more projects in less time than ever before while reducing human error.
PJM also recently accepted 51 projects as part of the one-time Reliability Resource Initiative (RRI), which attracted more than 11,000 MW of shovel-ready natural gas, nuclear and battery projects (both new construction and upgrades to existing generators) that can address system reliability needs in the near term while PJM continues to bring additional intermittent projects like solar and wind online. These RRI projects have been added to the last Transition Cycle currently underway in order to expedite their completion through the interconnection queue.
PJM has been encouraging states to work with the industry to help remove permitting and siting barriers and to keep existing generators online until new generators are online to replace them. Meanwhile, we continue to advance initiatives to make it easier to leverage existing interconnection capability, such as changes to Surplus Interconnection Service, which FERC approved to utilize the unused portion of interconnection service for facilities that do not operate continuously (such as adding battery storage to a solar generator). FERC is also considering a reform package that would facilitate an expedited interconnection process to bring a new resource online using the Capacity Interconnection Rights of a retiring resource.