by Brianna Crandall — February 12, 2016—The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) recently estimated that total renewables used in the U.S. electric power sector will increase by 8.1% in 2016. EIA also forecast that hydropower generation in the electric power sector will increase by 3.6% in 2016.
EIA expects continued growth in utility-scale solar power generation, which is projected to average 128 gigawatt-hours per day in 2017, an increase of 42% from 2016. Utility-scale solar power could average 1.1% of total U.S. electricity generation in 2017, the agency estimated.
EIA also forecasts that utility-scale solar capacity will increase by about 80% (10 GW) between the end of 2015 and the end of 2017, with 4.1 GW of new capacity being built in California. Other states leading in utility-scale solar capacity additions include Nevada, North Carolina, Texas, and Georgia, which, combined with California, account for almost 80% of the projected utility-scale capacity additions for 2016 and 2017.
Wind capacity, which starts from a significantly larger installed capacity base than solar, grew by 13% in 2015, and it is forecast to increase by 14% in 2016 and by 3% in 2017.
See the EIA Short-Term Energy Outlook report online.
