In 2023, the United States added new solar capacity to its electricity grid. According to the FERC’s latest report, out of the total 17,017 megawatts of total power added, about one-third (which is about 34%) came from solar power. However, one-sixth (which is about 16%) came from wind power. Solar and wind combined make up more than half (about 51%) of all the power supply in the U.S.
Moreover, there were also smaller contributions from other sources like hydropower, geothermal, and biomass. Adding all these renewable sources together, they make up more than half (about 53%) of the power. The rest of the electricity comes from the natural gas. These non-renewable energy resources made up nearly half (about 47%) of the nation’s electricity generating capacity.
Between January to June of this year, the United States added new solar capacity to its electric grid. Solar power plants will now generate about 7% of all the electricity in the country. Wind power makes up about 12% of the total. Solar and wind combine now make up around 28% of all the electricity supplied in the country. A year ago, this was 27%, and five years ago, it was even lower around 21%. This means that renewable energy is increasing by 1.5% every year.
What Will Happen in The Next Three Years?
In the next three years, it is expected that the United States will add new solar and wind power resources to its electric grid. They expect new solar capacity to increase by 81,284 megawatts and wind energy by 19,734 megawatts. If this happens, in three years, both solar and wind energy will combinedly make up more than a quarter (which is about 26%) of all the electricity in the country.
Among all the resources, solar energy will add around 214,563 MWand wind energy will 66, 286 MW to the electricity grid. This means that within three years, solar energy can become the biggest source of power generation in the country, even surpassing wind energy.
By June 2026, the amount of electricity that generate from fossil fuels in the United States will decrease. Right now, about 44% of the electricity comes from natural gas, but this will decrease to around 42%. The electricity that comes from coal is around 16% now, but that will decrease to about 14%. The oil contribution will also decrease to about 3%. Further, nuclear power share will also decrease from 8.06% to 7.58% by 2026. Overall, solar and wind power are now playing major role in adding power to the nation’s electric grid. In the next three years, new solar capacity is expected to make up more than one-eighth of all the power sources in the United States.
