The New Energy Takeover Continues

Wind And Solar Provided More Than Two-Thirds Of New U.S. Electrical Generating Capacity During First Half Of 2022; FERC Foresees Natural Gas Capacity Additions Plummeting Over Next Three Years As Renewable Energy Growth Is 20x Greater

Ken Bossong, August 15, 2022 (SUN DAY Campaign)

“..Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) [data shows] renewable sources accounted for more than two-thirds of the new U.S. electrical generating capacity added during the first six months of 2022…Wind (5,722-MW) and solar (3,895-MW) provided 67.01% of the 14,352-MW in utility-scale (i.e. > 1-MW) capacity put into service during the first half of the year. Additional capacity was provided by geothermal (26-MW), hydropower (7-MW), and biomass (2-MW). The balance came from natural gas (4,695-MW) and oil (5-MW). No new capacity was reported for 2022 from either nuclear power or coal…

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…[The] recent additions bring renewable energy's share of total U.S. available installed generating capacity up to 26.74%...[f]ive years ago, renewables' share was 19.70%. Ten years ago, it was 14.76%...FERC reports that there may be as much as 192,507-MW of new solar capacity in the pipeline with 66,315-MW classified as "high probability" additions…The "high probability" additions alone would [by 2025] nearly double utility-scale solar's current installed capacity of 74,530-MW…[And] FERC's forecast predates Congressional approval of the Inflation Reduction Act which could super-charge solar's growth…

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…[N]ew wind capacity by June 2025 could total 70,393-MW with 17,383-MW being "high probability" …[That would grow installed wind capacity] by at least 12% and possibly by much more…Possibly more startling is how little net new natural gas capacity FERC anticipates being added over the next three years - just 4,319-MW…Utility-scale solar and wind generating capacity would expand from 17.15% of domestic capacity today to 22.64% by mid-2025…[and] natural gas' share would contract from 44.23% today to 42.37% by June 2025…” click here for more

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