Renewable energy provided nearly three quarters (74%) of new utility-scale generating capacity in the US in 2022.
Based upon a review by the SUN DAY Campaign of data newly released by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), new utility-scale solar capacity was 9924MW, or 39.6% of the total, while new wind capacity provided 8512MW, or 33.9% of the total.
Solar and wind each “comfortably surpassed” the 6469MW of new natural gas capacity (25.8%).
Including geothermal (90MW), biomass (31MW), and hydropower (24MW), capacity additions by the mix of renewable energy sources accounted for 18,581MW of the 25,085MW in new generating capacity by all sources in 2022.
Oil added 18MW and nuclear increased by 17MW; there were no new additions reported for coal.
By the end of 2022, renewable energy sources collectively provided 27.3% of the total available installed generating capacity in the US with wind’s share – 143,280-MW accounting for 11.4% and solar accounting for 80,400MW, expanding to 6.4%.
Renewables’ share of US generating capacity was 24.1% in December 2020 and 17.8% in December 2015.
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The recent growth in new solar and wind generating capacity “significantly surpasses” that which had been forecast by FERC just three years earlier.
At that time, FERC had reported that “high probability” additions of new solar between January 2020 and December 2022 would total 19,973MW.
Instead, new solar capacity grew by 38,530MW.
Similarly, FERC had anticipated 26,403MW of net “high probability” new wind capacity to be added during that three-year period.
Instead, wind grew by 41,350MW or 56.6% more than forecast.
“Renewable sources, led by solar and wind, are now adding almost two percentage points each year to their share of the nation’s electrical generating capacity,” said SUN DAY Campaign’s executive director Ken Bossong.
“If that pace continues or accelerates – as seems likely – renewables will be providing a third of total installed generating capacity within three years and quite possibly more.”
