
In the unfolding narrative of US energy, solar capacity emerges as the protagonist, outpacing all rivals in the initial three quarters of 2023, reveals the latest data from FERC.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's recent "Energy Infrastructure Update" for September 30, 2023, scrutinized by the SUN DAY campaign, discloses that solar injected 9,924 megawatts (MW) into the US grid, claiming a substantial 42.4% of the total new generating capacity.
This solar surge represents a remarkable 32.8% surge compared to the preceding year, effortlessly eclipsing the 8,962 MW from new natural gas installations (38.2%). The dominance of solar extends further, standing ninefold above the contribution of the new 1,100 MW Vogtle-3 nuclear reactor (4.7%) in Georgia. Solar's ascendancy is even more pronounced as it leaves oil (54 MW) and waste heat (31 MW) capacity additions in its celestial wake.
In the symphony of renewable energy, other players have also struck harmonious chords. Wind, with an additional 3,062 MW (13.1%), contributes its melody, while the collective tunes of hydropower (224 MW), geothermal (44 MW), and biomass (30 MW) compose 56.7% of the new capacity since January.
Though solar still trails wind (11.6%) in the realm of total installed US generating capacity, it's rapidly closing the gap with hydropower (7.9%). The combined capacity of all renewables, including biomass (1.2%) and geothermal (0.3%), crescendos to 28.3% of the US's total capacity by the close of the first nine months of 2023 – a melodic uptick from 27% the previous year.
The solar crescendo is poised to continue. FERC's report anticipates "high-probability" solar additions between October 2023 and September 2026, tallying an impressive 85,657 MW – a fourfold surge compared to the anticipated "high probability" wind additions (20,333 MW) and a staggering twentyfold leap above the projections for natural gas (4,150 MW).
Reflecting on this transformative trajectory, Ken Bossong, executive director of the SUN DAY Campaign, notes, "In the aftermath of the 1973 Arab oil embargo 50 years ago, virtually no thought was given to solar as a future energy resource. But now, along with wind and other renewable energy sources, it’s leading the nation’s transition away from nuclear power and fossil fuels to a cleaner and safer energy future."