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The U.S. added 30 GW of solar in 2024 and is expected to remain the largest source of new generating capacity added over the next two years. Solar has grown rapidly in the U.S. and abroad, expanding from 0.1% of U.S. electricity generation in 2010 to over 6% today, the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) said. Growth continued through 2024, as the U.S. installed 30 GW of new solar capacity. EIA expects solar to be the leading contributor of new generation added to the grid over the next two years. These forecasts would represent an increase of U.S. solar generation by 34% in 2025 and by 17% in 2026. EIA also forecast wind capacity additions will increase by around 8 GW in 2025 and 9 GW in 2026, slight increases from the 7 GW added in 2024. Based on current capacities and expected growth rates, EIA predicts solar capacity will overtake wind capacity in the United State in 2027, as seen in the chart below. EIA further predicts that rising generation from total renewables will cause natural gas generation to decline by 3% in 2025 and by another 1% in 2026. It also projects coal generation will fall by 1% in 2025, while increasing slightly in 2026 due to expected increases in natural gas costs, maintaining price competitiveness for coal-fired power. After almost two decades of relatively little change, consumption of electricity grew by 2% in the United States during 2024. EIA expects electricity consumption to increase at about 2% annually over the next two years. |