U.S. Power Grid Added 20.2 GW of Generating Capacity in 1st Half of 2024 — Almost Entirely Clean Energy

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Based on our newest Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventorybuilders and energy plant house owners added 20.2 gigawatts (GW) of utility-scale electrical producing capability in the US through the first half of 2024. This new capability is 3.6 GW (21%) greater than the capability added through the first six months of 2023. Primarily based on probably the most not too long ago reported knowledge, builders and house owners anticipate so as to add one other 42.6 GW of capability within the second half of the yr.

Operational capability additions: As in 2023, photo voltaic accounted for the most important share of newly working producing capability in the US through the first half of 2024. Photo voltaic additions totaled 12 GW, 59% of all additions. Texas and Florida made up 38% of U.S. photo voltaic additions. The 690-megawatt (MW) photo voltaic and storage Gemini facility in Nevada and the 653-MW Lumina Photo voltaic Mission in Texas had been the most important photo voltaic tasks that got here on-line within the first six months of 2024.

The second-most capability additions to this point this yr had been battery storage, which made up 21% (4.2 GW). Battery additions had been concentrated in 4 states: California (37% of the U.S. complete), Texas (24%), Arizona (19%), and Nevada (13%). The 380-MW battery storage capability at Gemini and the 300-MW Eleven Mile Photo voltaic Middle in Arizona had been the 2 largest tasks that got here on-line within the first half of 2024.

Wind energy made up 12% (2.5 GW) of U.S. capability additions. Canyon Wind (309 MW) and Goodnight (266 MW), each positioned in Texas, had been the most important wind tasks that got here on-line within the first half of the yr.

Nuclear energy elevated in the US throughout 2024 as nicely. Unit 4 (1,114 MW) at Georgia’s Vogtle nuclear power plant started business operations in April, making Vogtle the most important nuclear facility in the US and the one one with 4 nuclear energy reactors.

Retired capability: Retirement of U.S. electrical producing capability has slowed in 2024. Operators retired 5.1 GW of producing capability within the first half of the yr. In the course of the first six months of 2023, operators retired 9.2 GW of era. Within the first half of 2024, greater than half (53%) of the retired capability had used pure fuel as its gasoline, adopted by coal at 41%.

The most important U.S. coal retirements embrace Seminole Electrical Cooperative’s Unit 1 (626.0 MW) in Florida, which retired in January, and Homer City Generating Station’s Unit 1 (626.1 MW) in Pennsylvania, which retired in April. The six-unit, 1,413-MW Mystic Generating Station combined-cycle facility in Massachusetts was the most important pure fuel retirement this yr and had been the third-largest energy plant in New England.

Plans for modifications in capability: Builders plan so as to add 42.6 GW of latest capability in the US within the second half of 2024. Practically 60% of that deliberate capability is from photo voltaic (25 GW), adopted by battery storage (10.8 GW) and wind (4.6 GW).

If utilities add all of the photo voltaic capability they’re at the moment planning, photo voltaic capability additions will complete 37 GW in 2024, a report in anybody yr and nearly double final yr’s 18.8 GW.

Utilities might additionally add a report quantity of battery storage capability this yr (15 GW) if all deliberate additions come on-line. Plans for storage capability in Texas and California at the moment account for 81% of latest battery storage capability within the second half of the yr.

About 2.4 GW of capability is scheduled to retire through the second half of 2024, together with 0.7 GW of coal and 1.1 GW of pure fuel.

Initially revealed on Today in Energy. Principal contributor: Suparna Ray