A review by the SUN DAY Campaign of data in two new end-of-the-year reports just released by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reveals that the mix of renewable energy sources (i.e., biomass, geothermal, hydropower, solar, wind) is now over 30% of total U.S. utility-scale (i.e., >1 MW) electrical generating capacity and on track to reach 37% by the end of 2027.In addition, they provided almost a quarter of the nation’s electrical generation during the first ten months of 2024. Further, October was the fourteenth month in a row in which solar was the largest source of new capacity, putting it on track to become the nation’s second-largest source of capacity — behind only natural gas — in three years or sooner.Renewables were over 90% of new generating capacity in the first ten months of 2024:In its latest monthly “Energy Infrastructure Update” (with data through October 31, 2024), FERC says 41 “units” of solar totaling 1,970 MW were placed into service in October along with three units of wind (174 MW). Combined they accounted for 99.9% of all new generating capacity added during the month. Natural gas provided the balance — a mere 3 MW.During the first ten months of 2024, solar and wind added 21,425 MW and 2,799 MW respectively. Combined with 213 MW of hydropower and 6 MW of biomass, renewables were almost 90.5% of capacity added. The balance consisted of the 1,100 Vogtle-4 nuclear reactor in Georgia plus 1,456 MW of gas, 11 MW of oil and 8 MW of “other.”Solar was 92% of new capacity in October and 79% during the first ten months of 2024:Solar accounted for 79.3% of all new utility-scale generation placed into service in the first ten months of 2024. In October alone, solar comprised 91.8% of all new capacity added.New wind capacity YTD accounted for most of the balance — 10.4% through October.Solar capacity additions through the end of October were 80.5% higher than during the same period in 2023. Meanwhile, new natural gas capacity was less than one-sixth (15.3%) of that added last year.Solar has now been the largest source of new generating capacity for fourteen months straight: September 2023-October 2024. For a majority of those months, wind took second place.Solar + wind are now over 21% of U.S. generating capacity:The combined capacities of just solar and wind now constitute more than one-fifth (21.2%) of the nation’s total available installed utility-scale generating capacity.However, roughly a third of U.S. solar capacity is in the form of small-scale (e.g., rooftop) systems that is not reflected in FERC’s data. Including that additional solar capacity would bring the share provided by solar + wind closer to a quarter of the nation’s total.Solar’s share of U.S. generating capacity advances it to fourth place as it surpasses nuclear power and hydropower:The latest capacity additions have brought solar’s share of total available installe
Sab. Dic 28th, 2024
