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Over the next two years, the United States will experience a remarkable acceleration in the energy transition in the electricity sector, according to new figures released Jan. 9 by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).
Utility-scale solar generation is set to grow by 75% in just two years, pushed by the anticipated addition of 79,000 megawatts (MW) of new capacity. The EIA described the increase as the “major driver” behind its electric sector power forecast, which expects generation from renewables—utility-scale solar, wind, and hydro—to be almost twice the amount generated by coal in 2025.
Wind and solar are expected to account for 18.5% of all the electricity generated in the U.S., and hydro is anticipated to add another 6.5%. Wind and utility-scale solar by themselves will generate more power than coal in 2024.