As of December 2020, the states with the most small-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity were California (10.6 gigawatts (GW)), New Jersey (1.9 GW), and Massachusetts (1.8 GW). Of the 4.5 GW of small-scale solar capacity added in the United States in 2020, California accounted for 31%, the largest share by … [continued]
Editor’s note: Note that this evaluation does not take social, environmental, or public health costs into account, and natural gas comes with high social, environmental, or public health costs. Those costs, for the most part, are not priced into power plant costs in the United States. A supplemental report to … [continued]
Electric energy storage is becoming more important to the energy industry as the share of intermittent generating technologies, such as wind and solar, in the electricity mix increases. Electric energy storage helps to meet fluctuating demand, which is why it is often paired with intermittent sources. Storage technologies include batteries … [continued]
The United States will likely take years to return to 2019 levels of energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions following the impact of COVID-19 on the U.S. economy and global energy sector.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) latest inventory of electric generators, 9.1 gigawatts (GW) of electric generating capacity is scheduled to retire in 2021. Nuclear generating capacity will account for the largest share of total capacity retirements (56%), followed by coal (30%).
In 2019, U.S. annual energy consumption from renewable sources exceeded coal consumption for the first time since before 1885, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) Monthly Energy Review. This outcome mainly reflects the continued decline in the amount of coal used for electricity generation over the past decade as well as growth in renewable energy, mostly from wind and solar.
According to daily estimates from the U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), Hurricane Laura reduced crude oil production in the Federal Offshore Gulf of Mexico by an estimated 14.4 million barrels over a span of 15 days, the most of any hurricane since the combined effect of Hurricanes Gustav and Ike in 2008.
According to 2018 data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) for newly constructed utility-scale electric generators in the United States, annual capacity-weighted average construction costs for solar photovoltaic systems and onshore wind turbines have continued to decrease.
A new legislative package on energy is working its way through the U.S. Senate. The American Energy Innovation Act (AEIA) is a compilation of dozens of energy bills that have passed the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, most with bipartisan support.
EIA expects non-hydroelectric renewable energy resources such as solar and wind will be the fastest growing source of U.S. electricity generation for at least the next two years.
