Wind turbines in Palm Springs, California
US wind and solar return to rapid growth
After a period of relative stagnation, wind and solar generation are set to continue their recent renaissance
Combined wind and solar generation soared from 9.65pc to 11.6pc of total US electricity last year, marking a return to strength after several years of sluggish growth. Led by the biggest single-year deployment of new wind power, around 21GW of capacity, America grew total wind and solar generation by 16.7pc—rising from 403 TWh to 470 TWh. Importantly, base effects from the pandemic were not significant. Yes, last year’s total system demand fell 2.7pc, from 4,163TWh to 4,051TWh, but that is within the range of normal variability. US generation has consistently oscillated around 4,000TWh/yr for more than 15 years. There is no other way to slice the data: wind and solar, along with natural gas,
Also in this section
12 November 2024
Standards have been agreed for a mechanism under Article 6.4 of the Paris Agreement to trade carbon credits internationally
8 November 2024
The energy sector will need all viable technologies to meet surging demand as AI and datacentres drain power grids
31 October 2024
Russia still aspires to become a major supplier of hydrogen, CO₂ storage capacity and carbon credits, despite financial constraints and the loss of Western technology and expertise
30 October 2024
Occidental subsidiary signs agreement with Enterprise Products Partners for pipelines and transport services for Bluebonnet hub
