We expect solar electric generation will be the leading source of growth in the U.S. electric power sector. In our January Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), which contains new forecast data through December 2025, we forecast new capacity will boost the solar share of total generation to 5.6% in 2024 and 7.0% in … [continued]
I just wrapped up reports on new power capacity in the United States and electricity generation in the United States. Clearly, the trend is toward more renewables and less coal. Aside from showing power capacity additions from month to month by energy source, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) includes … [continued]
There’s a funny misconception hanging around that coal provides almost all of the electricity for the USA, or at least most of it. Those who love to hate on electric vehicles are fond of saying that EVs are powered by coal. A decade or two ago, yes, that was much … [continued]
Looking at official figures from Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and adding in a CleanTechnica estimate for small-scale solar power additions, we conclude that 71% of new power capacity additions in the United States came from solar power and wind power in October. Month-to-month variations in new power additions can … [continued]
We forecast the U.S. energy sector to emit about 4,790 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) in 2023, a 3% decrease from 2022. Much of this decline results from lower electricity generation from coal-fired power plants due to higher generation from renewable sources such as solar power. We expect … [continued]
Operators have scheduled 14.9 gigawatts (GW) of electric generating capacity to retire in the United States during 2022, according to our latest inventory of electric generators. The majority of the scheduled retirements are coal-fired power plants (85%), followed by natural gas (8%) and nuclear (5%). Coal. After substantial retirements of U.S. … [continued]
Coal stockpiles at U.S. electric power plants totaled 80 million tons at the end of September, the lowest monthly level since March 1978. As U.S. coal plants have retired and remaining plants are used less, the country’s total coal stockpiles have declined. In addition, increased electricity generation by coal plants … [continued]
Renewable energy’s contribution to United States electricity supply has been growing for years. In just the past three years, renewable energy’s share of US electricity generation in the first quarter of the year has grown by more than three percentage points, from 18.4% in Q1 2019 to 21.6% in Q1 … [continued]
Following our US Power Capacity Report for the first two months of 2020, which showed that 99.7% of new US power capacity came from solar and wind, we’ve got a US Electricity Generation Report that is much less uplifting. Aside from the fact that 11% is a lot lower than … [continued]
How has US electricity generation from solar power, wind power, coal power, natural gas, and nuclear shifted in the past 11 years? Let me show you.
