According to the survey reports released by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the U.S. installed photovoltaics, wind power and other renewable energy sources (ie biomass, geothermal, hydropower) in the first two months of this year. It accounted for 96.3% of the total installed capacity of newly added available energy.

U.S. utility-scale photovoltaic systems and wind power installed in the first two months of the year The total installed capacity of the facility is 3,976MW.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) survey report, compared with the same period last year, the installed capacity of photovoltaic systems (including small photovoltaic systems) in the first two months of 2022 increased by 35.6%, and the total installed capacity of wind power and photovoltaic power generation increased by 35.6%. Capacity increased by more than a third (33.8%).

Renewable energy capacity, which includes hydro, biomass and geothermal, increased 21.1% in the two months to account for 22.8% of the total new available energy capacity in the United States, up from 19.7% a year earlier. Wind and photovoltaic systems provide nearly one-seventh (14.1%) of U.S. electricity.

So far, U.S. renewable energy generation has outpaced coal generation by 2.9%. Renewable energy generation also continued to expand its lead over nuclear power, surpassing 23%.

According to data from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), as of the end of February this year, the cumulative installation of utility-scale renewable energy in the United States accounted for more than 26.3% of the total installed energy capacity of the available energy. Over the next three years, utility-scale PV systems will add 58,688MW, not counting other types of PV systems that currently account for nearly 30% of total PV system capacity. The report further states that the installed capacity of photovoltaic systems being planned for deployment in the United States may be as high as 181,577MW.

If all of these PV projects come online, utility-scale renewables will account for 31.2% of total U.S. electricity generation by early 2025, with wind and photovoltaics accounting for 12.0% and 10%, respectively. At the same time, the share of coal-fired power generation will fall from 18.3% to 15.1%, and that of nuclear power will drop from 8.2% to 7.9%. Natural gas power generation also fell to 43.0% from the current 44.0%.

Ken Bossong, executive director of the SUNDAY Campaign, said, “The latest figures from the two agencies reaffirm the significant growth in installed PV and wind capacity, signaling an accelerating energy transition in the United States, which is deploying even more renewable energy than the agency’s forecasts.”