Will solar and wind energy lead the growth in US power generation?

Solar and wind energy will lead the growth in U.S. power generation for at least the next two years, according to EIA estimates. This report uses data from the EIA to analyze solar and wind capacity and generation over the past decade (2014 to 2023) in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

How will solar PV & wind impact global electricity generation?

The share of solar PV and wind in global electricity generation is forecast to double to 25% in 2028 in our main case. This rapid expansion in the next five years will have implications for power systems worldwide.

Are solar and wind the future of energy?

Solar and wind account for more of our nation’s energy mix than ever before. To study America’s growing renewable electricity capacity and generation, Climate Central analyzed historical data on solar and wind energy over a 10-year period (2014 to 2023).

Why is accurate solar and wind generation forecasting important?

Accurate solar and wind generation forecasting along with high renewable energy penetration in power grids throughout the world are crucial to the days-ahead power scheduling of energy systems. It is difficult to precisely forecast on-site power generation due to the intermittency and fluctuation characteristics of solar and wind energy.

How much electricity is produced from solar and wind power?

The analysis shows that the amount of electricity produced from solar and wind power increased across the U.S. Our nation generated 238,121 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity from solar in 2023 — more than eight times the amount generated a decade earlier in 2014.

What is the average lifetime of a PV & wind power plant?

We adopted a fixed ratio of O&M costs to investment costs for the projected PV and wind power plants 50, 51. We adopted 25 years (ref. 30) as the average lifetime of PV or wind power plants. We considered the costs of electricity transmission by UHV when increasing the installed capacity of a power plant.