Solar and batteries will make up 80% of new power capacity this year in the U.S.
Both technologies are going to shatter the records they each set in 2023.
Last year, the U.S. added a record 19.3 GW of utility-scale solar capacity. That was a big year and represented 72% more than 2022. But it's nothing compared to what's in store this year.
By year's end, the U.S. is expected to add 37.5 GW of capacity (94% y/y growth).
Solar's growth is staggering—until you compare it to the growth of battery storage.
This year alone, the U.S. is expected to add nearly as much battery storage capacity as the country did over the last decade.
As clean energy is rising, fossil fuel power growth is falling.
For most of this century, natural gas has been the dominant source of new power capacity in the U.S. This year, power producers will build less gas capacity (2.8 GW) than they have in any year since 1998.
But even this figure overstates the amount of gas power that is coming online in 2024. More than 80% of this new gas capacity will be in the form of single-combustion turbines that are designed to run only a fraction of the year.
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