A review by the Sun Day Campaign of data from new reports by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reveals that renewable energy sources now account for over 30% of total U.S. utility-scale electrical generating capacity. This includes biomass, geothermal, hydropower, solar, and wind energy.
In the latest monthly "Energy Infrastructure Update" (with data through July 31, 2024), FERC reported that 40 solar units totaling 1,291 MW and two wind units (141 MW) were placed into service in July, making up 76.1% of all new generating capacity added during the month. Natural gas provided the remaining 450 MW.
During the first seven months of 2024, solar and wind added 14,949 MW and 2,270 MW, respectively. Combined with 212 MW of hydropower and 3 MW of biomass, renewables accounted for 89.7% of new capacity added. The rest included the 1,100 MW Vogtle-4 nuclear reactor in Georgia, 887 MW of gas, 11 MW of oil, and 3 MW of "other."
Solar accounted for 76.9% of new generation placed into service in the first seven months of 2024, with July alone seeing 68.6% of new capacity added. New wind capacity year-to-date accounted for 11.7% through July.
Solar capacity additions through July were 81.2% higher than during the same period in 2023. New natural gas capacity was less than one-tenth (9.6%) of that added last year. Biomass capacity was also only a tenth of that added during the first seven months of 2023, while new hydropower and wind capacity additions were 4.1% and 17.8% lower, respectively. Solar and wind together now constitute more than one-fifth (20.9%) of the nation’s total available installed utility-scale generating capacity. Including small-scale (e.g., rooftop) solar systems would bring the share of solar and wind closer to a quarter of the total.
Wind and solar provided 17.8% of the nation’s electrical generation during the first seven months of 2024. Between January and July, the mix of all renewables (solar, wind, hydropower, biomass, and geothermal) grew by 9.1% compared to the same period a year earlier, providing 24.9% of total production, up from 23.9% in the first seven months of 2023.
