The addition of scale solar power capacity is expected to set a new record by adding 15.4 GW to the US grid in 2021, the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) announced today.
Solar leads the 2021 package with 39% of the total new U.S. electricity generation capacity. This is followed by wind (31%, or 12.2 GW), natural gas (16%, or 6.6 GW), battery storage (11%, or 4.3 GW), nuclear power (3%, or 1.1 GW) ), and others, at 0.2 GW.
Solar power
The expected 15.4 GW solar power of 2021 will exceed the increase of almost 12 GW by 2020, based on reported additions to October (6 GW) and scheduled additions for the last two months of 2020 (5.7 GW).
Four states will be home to more than half of the new solar photovoltaic capacity: Texas (28%), Nevada (9%), California (9%) and North Carolina (7%).
As Electrek previously reported, Texas will host the largest solar power project in the U.S., the Samson Solar Energy Center, which will be built in five phases over the next three years, and each phase will begin upon completion in 2023.
Wind
Another 12.2 GW wind capacity is expected to be online in 2021. Last year, 21 GW of wind switched on online.
Texas and Oklahoma are responsible for more than half of the addition of wind capacity in 2021. The 12 MW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) pilot project, located 27 km off the coast of Virginia Beach, will also be operational in early 2021 with commercial operations begin.
Natural gas
Natural gas is a dirty fossil fuel. Planned additions to natural gas capacity are reported at 6.6 GW, primarily in Texas, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Battery storage
The EIA expects the capacity of battery storage on utilities to more than quadruple; 4.3 GW of battery power capacity is expected to be available online by 2021. This is because storing batteries goes hand in hand with green energy.
The world’s largest solar battery (409 MW) is under construction at the Manatee Solar Energy Center in Florida; the battery is scheduled to be operational by the end of 2021.
In the annual survey, EIA asks respondents to provide planned online dates for generators that will come online in the next five years. The monthly survey follows the status of generators that will be online in the coming year, based on reported dates.
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