Blattner Energy headed the list of U.S. installers of photovoltaics (PV) in 2016, followed closely by First Solar, the vertically integrated PV component supplier, and Swinerton Renewable Energy, the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) firm. Together, the top five EPCs captured nearly 50 percent of the total U.S. non-residential PV market, according to new research from IHS Markit (Nasdaq: INFO), a world leader in critical information, analytics and solutions.

“Leading diversified EPCs such as Blattner Energy, Swinerton Renewable Energy and Mortenson Construction contributed to installing more than 15 gigawatts-dc (GWdc) of PV in the United States in 2016 -- a record-breaking amount for the market,” said Camron Barati, North America solar analyst for IHS Markit. “All told, commercial and utility-scale segments generated more than 80 percent of installation demand.

Blattner Energy captured a significant share of demand in the Western United States in markets such as California and New Mexico, and was also highly active in emerging state markets such as Georgia. Aside from First Solar, the top five EPC companies were primarily characterized as diversified firms that do not have an exclusive focus on solar

While most of the top EPC firms captured market share by winning large projects in 2016 -- many larger than 100 MWdc in size -- average project sizes in the US development pipeline in 2017 are smaller, according to the IHS Markit Solar Deal Tracker . However, the trend of smaller projects is not likely to last, as larger projects scheduled for completion in 2018 and 2019 will begin to tip the balance towards mega-scale projects again.

Full details in upcoming Solar EPC and O&M report found with the IHS North America Solar Intelligence Service. For information about the IHS Markit Solar Intelligence Service – North America, contact the sales department at IHS Markit in the Americas at (844) 301-7334 or AmericasLeads@ihs.com ; in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) at +44 1344 328 300 or technology_emea@ihs.com ; or Asia-Pacific (APAC) at +604 291 3600 or technology_APAC@ihs.com .

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