- FERC data shows that 91.6% of new generation additions were from clean energy sources.
- Clean energy sources now make up 25.1% of the country’s total generation capacity.
According to recently released data by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), renewable energy dominated new capacity additions in the United States in the first half of 2021. FERC’s data showed that clean energy sources made up 91.6 per cent (10,940 MW) of new capacity added. Wind led the capacity additions with 5,617 MW, followed by solar (5,279 MW).
With this new data, renewables contribution to the U.S. total generation capacity now stood at 25.1 per cent, a two percentage points increase from last year. Moreover, FERC estimates that clean energy sources are on track to increase over the next couple of years. For example, wind and solar generations are forecast to provide about five times more new net generating capacity than natural gas over the next three years.
If these estimates are realised, clean energy will account for almost 30 per cent of the U.S. total installed generating capacity by 2024.