According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA),Renewable energy will reach 22% of total generating in 2022. This boost is another step on the ladder of the energy transition.
The EIA predicted that by the end of the next year, this energy will make up 24% of total generation. Based on its monthly historical data releases, the group frequently publishes forecasts for five sustainable power sources: conventional hydropower, wind, solar, biomass, and geothermal.
Renewable Energy Electricity Generation Records:
In its study on sustainable energy generation, EIA tracks 11 different geographic areas. California, where this energy accounted for 44% of power generation, and the Northwest, where energy accounted for around 50% of the region’s electricity generation, were the top two regions for solar energy in 2021.
The Southwest Power Pool saw the largest increase in the share of energy generation during the past ten years. Going from 13% of the mix in 2013 to 44% in 2022. According to EIA, the increase in wind generation was substantially to blame. Over the same time period, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas boosted its contribution of renewable from 10% to 32%.
Three East Coast regions—PJM Interconnection in the Mid-Atlantic, the Southeast, and the Florida Reliability Coordinating council—had the lowest proportion of renewable energy generation in their mix. Through the following year, EIA anticipates that these areas’ renewables use will continue below the national average. However, in the Southeast and Florida, natural gas and nuclear power plants are the most major power producers. Whereas coal and natural gas are the most common energy sources in PJM.
After the Inflation Reduction Act passed, long-term industrial policy is expected to greatly enhance the use of renewable energy sources. According to the researchers, solar deployment may reach well over 100 GW annually by 2030. This will result in more significant presence of solar energy in the overall U.S. power mix ten years from now.