Solar power will account for nearly half of new U.S. electric generating capacity in 2022

[danmand]

ANUARY 10, 2022Solar power will account for nearly half of new U.S. electric generating capacity in 2022

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory, October 2021
In 2022, we expect 46.1 gigawatts (GW) of new utility-scale electric generating capacity to be added to the U.S. power grid, according to our Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory. Almost half of the planned 2022 capacity additions are solar, followed by natural gas at 21% and wind at 17%.

Developers and power plant owners report planned additions to us in our annual and monthly electric generator surveys. In the annual survey, we ask respondents to provide planned online dates for generators coming online in the next five years. The monthly survey tracks the status of generators coming online based on reported in-service dates.

Solar. We expect U.S. utility-scale solar generating capacity to grow by 21.5 GW in 2022. This planned new capacity would surpass last year’s 15.5 GW of solar capacity additions, an estimate based on reported additions through October (8.7 GW) and additions scheduled for the last two months of 2021 (6.9 GW). Most planned solar additions in 2022 will be in Texas (6.1 GW, or 28% of the national total), followed by California (4.0 GW).

Natural gas. In 2022, we expect 9.6 GW of new natural gas-fired capacity to come online. Combined-cycle plants account for 8.1 GW of the planned capacity additions (over 84%), and combustion-turbine plants account for 1.4 GW. Almost all (88%) of the planned natural gas capacity is located in Ohio, Florida, Michigan, and Illinois.

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory, October 2021
Wind. In 2021, a record-high 17.1 GW of wind capacity came online in the United States. We based this estimate on reported additions through October (9.9 GW) and planned additions in November and December (7.2 GW). Another 7.6 GW of wind capacity is scheduled to come online in 2022. About half (51%) of the 2022 wind capacity additions are located in Texas. The 999 MW Traverse Wind Energy Center in Oklahoma, the largest wind project expected to come online in 2022, is scheduled to begin commercial operations in April.

Battery storage. We expect U.S. utility-scale battery storage capacity to grow by 5.1 GW, or 84%, in 2022. Several factors have helped expand U.S. battery storage, including declining costs of battery storage, deploying battery storage with renewable generation, and adding value through regional transmission organization (RTO) markets.

Nuclear. Another 5% of the country’s planned electric capacity additions in 2022 will come from two new reactors at the Vogtle nuclear power plant in Georgia. One of these reactors, Unit 3, was expected to come online in 2021, but the unit’s planned start date was delayed until June 2022 to allow additional time for construction and testing.

Principal contributors: Elesia Fasching, Suparna Ray

Tags: generation, electricity, natural gas, wind, solar, capacity, map

 

[JohnLarue]

ANUARY 10, 2022Solar power will account for nearly half of new U.S. electric generating capacity in 2022

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory, October 2021
In 2022, we expect 46.1 gigawatts (GW) of new utility-scale electric generating capacity to be added to the U.S. power grid, according to our Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory. Almost half of the planned 2022 capacity additions are solar, followed by natural gas at 21% and wind at 17%.

Developers and power plant owners report planned additions to us in our annual and monthly electric generator surveys. In the annual survey, we ask respondents to provide planned online dates for generators coming online in the next five years. The monthly survey tracks the status of generators coming online based on reported in-service dates.

Solar. We expect U.S. utility-scale solar generating capacity to grow by 21.5 GW in 2022. This planned new capacity would surpass last year’s 15.5 GW of solar capacity additions, an estimate based on reported additions through October (8.7 GW) and additions scheduled for the last two months of 2021 (6.9 GW). Most planned solar additions in 2022 will be in Texas (6.1 GW, or 28% of the national total), followed by California (4.0 GW).

Natural gas. In 2022, we expect 9.6 GW of new natural gas-fired capacity to come online. Combined-cycle plants account for 8.1 GW of the planned capacity additions (over 84%), and combustion-turbine plants account for 1.4 GW. Almost all (88%) of the planned natural gas capacity is located in Ohio, Florida, Michigan, and Illinois.

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory, October 2021
Wind. In 2021, a record-high 17.1 GW of wind capacity came online in the United States. We based this estimate on reported additions through October (9.9 GW) and planned additions in November and December (7.2 GW). Another 7.6 GW of wind capacity is scheduled to come online in 2022. About half (51%) of the 2022 wind capacity additions are located in Texas. The 999 MW Traverse Wind Energy Center in Oklahoma, the largest wind project expected to come online in 2022, is scheduled to begin commercial operations in April.

Battery storage. We expect U.S. utility-scale battery storage capacity to grow by 5.1 GW, or 84%, in 2022. Several factors have helped expand U.S. battery storage, including declining costs of battery storage, deploying battery storage with renewable generation, and adding value through regional transmission organization (RTO) markets.

Nuclear. Another 5% of the country’s planned electric capacity additions in 2022 will come from two new reactors at the Vogtle nuclear power plant in Georgia. One of these reactors, Unit 3, was expected to come online in 2021, but the unit’s planned start date was delayed until June 2022 to allow additional time for construction and testing.

Principal contributors: Elesia Fasching, Suparna Ray

Tags: generation, electricity, natural gas, wind, solar, capacity, map

Key word : Capacity

In 2022, we expect 46.1 gigawatts (GW) of new utility-scale electric generating capacity to be added to the U.S. power grid,

So 25% maybe of that value will be actual produced generation and it will still be intermittent requiring ongoing fossil fuel generation back up
You can not shut down the back up as a switch needs to instantaneous

This is unbelievably foolish

 

[danmand]

This is unbelievably foolish

You are literally fighting windmills.

There used to be a Terb member with the handle of Don Quixote. He sadly passed.

 

[JohnLarue]

You are literally fighting windmills.

you are literally fighting the laws of physics and common sense

There used to be a Terb member with the handle of Don Quixote. He sadly passed.

sad indeed , lets hope he had a full life

 

[danmand]

you are literally fighting the laws of physics and common sense

I will give you some doubt on common sense, that is a subjective measure.

But you cannot teach me anything about physics.

 

[jcpro]

It's laudable that we are moving away from really polluting sources of energy, but any transition must be affordable and uninterrupted AND reliable. The transition cannot be another tax on the already tapped out working men and women. If solar can do it, fine. I don't care what it is, frankly. But, it can't be another load of bricks on our society. I wish that the progressives would remember that. Zelotry has no place in the developed world.

 

[danmand]

It's laudable that we are moving away from really polluting sources of energy, but any transition must be affordable and uninterrupted AND reliable. The transition cannot be another tax on the already tapped out working men and women. If solar can do it, fine. I don't care what it is, frankly. But, it can't be another load of bricks on our society. I wish that the progressives would remember that. Zelotry has no place in the developed world.

It is all governed by economics. If solar is cheaper, it wins.

 

[jcpro]

It is all governed by economics. If solar is cheaper, it wins.

Right now solar is not cheaper. How do I know that? There is no way to apply it to the grid without a back up, simply because there are no storage options. So, we need two parallel systems- and that is almost never less expensive than a single system. BTW, Ontario is 100% emissions free when it comes to production of electricity.

 

[danmand]

Right now solar is not cheaper. How do I know that? There is no way to apply it to the grid without a back up, simply because there are no storage options. So, we need two parallel systems- and that is almost never less expensive than a single system.

Your argument is only valid, if a large portion of the capacity is from solar (without storage capacity).

As long as the solar generation capacity is low, that is not an issue. Right now it is 2.3% in USA.

Nobody is planning for USA to only use solar generated electricity.

 

[jcpro]

Your argument is only valid, if a large portion of the capacity is from solar (and there is no storage capacity).

As long as the solar generation capacity is low, that is not an issue.

That's true, but the green zealots want to go completely wind/solar in the shortest possible time. That means building natural gas or nuclear capacity. The natural gas infrastructure is not very expensive (relatively speaking), but nuclear is very expensive and in this political climate there simply is no capital available for them.

 

[JohnLarue]

I will give you some doubt on common sense, that is a subjective measure.

But you cannot teach me anything about physics.

well if you are a physics expert then surely you understand the requirements of maintaining a minimum frequency for grid stability
And you must understand that intermittent sources will not meet this requirements and thus will always require an equivalent capacity of fossil fuel back up
And you must therefore understand the fossil fuel facility must be running at all times (switch over needs to be instantaneous) & thus there will be no reduction in CO2... just more costs. land used and more minerals mined

So oh learned one, please explain why this a good idea ?

BTW Your original post states it will be solar not wind which will account for the new CAPACITY , so the capacity factor drops from 25% down into the mid teens

 

[JohnLarue]

Your argument is only valid, if a large portion of the capacity is from solar (without storage capacity).

As long as the solar generation capacity is low, that is not an issue. Right now it is 2.3% in USA.

Nobody is planning for USA to only use solar generated electricity.

So your argument boils down to
We need to eliminate fossil fuel use as quick as possible
But Wind / Solar can not be used if their CAPCITY exceeds 5-10%



So why bother installing any Wind/ Solar which requires subsidies ?

Stop using capacity. It is a meaningless term wrt Solar and Wind . That is not what they deliver and what they deliver is the only relevant measure
Pretty much analogous to quoting the ideal fighting weight of a 350 pounder


Electricity consumption in the United States was about 3.8 trillion kilowatthours (kWh) in 2020 Electricity is an essential part of modern life and important to the U.S. economy.
900 MW of utility-scale battery storage capacity was deployed by March 2019.



Better start connecting more D cells

Nobody is planning for USA to only use solar generated electricity.

This is a fools dream

 

[Moviefan-2]

That's true, but the green zealots want to go completely wind/solar in the shortest possible time. That means building natural gas or nuclear capacity. The natural gas infrastructure is not very expensive (relatively speaking), but nuclear is very expensive and in this political climate there simply is no capital available for them.

The only way to produce any measureable reduction in fossil fuels is through major increases in energy from nuclear power and natural gas.

 

[Frankfooter]

The only way to produce any measureable reduction in fossil fuels is through major increases in energy from nuclear power and natural gas.

Natural gas is a fossil fuel.
Total fail.

The way to reduce fossil fuels is to end their subsidies and put in a carbon tax.

Or you could listen to the experts.

Spring 2022 EESI EarthTalks Series - Penn State MediaSpace

psu.mediaspace.kaltura.com

 

[Submariner]

Right now solar is not cheaper. How do I know that? There is no way to apply it to the grid without a back up, simply because there are no storage options. So, we need two parallel systems- and that is almost never less expensive than a single system. BTW, Ontario is 100% emissions free when it comes to production of electricity.

No, Ontario is not emissions free.

Here is Ontario's generation mix as of 02:00 on January 15 (from IESO Power Data page). 2,941 MW of natural gas generation is not emissions free.

 

[Submariner]

Update on generation mix in Ontario, as of 10:00 this morning. Solar generation numbers are decebtively low since most solar in Ontario is embedded, or behind the meter, and so does not show up on the chart below. Nonetheless, it is a fairly bright winter day with clear conditions in most of southern Ontario, and solar energy is barely contributing. Solar and wind just aren't going to power Ontario alone.

 

[PumPumMaster]

Yah...maybe by the time hell freezes over

 

[Frankfooter]

Update on generation mix in Ontario, as of 10:00 this morning. Solar generation numbers are decebtively low since most solar in Ontario is embedded, or behind the meter, and so does not show up on the chart below. Nonetheless, it is a fairly bright winter day with clear conditions in most of southern Ontario, and solar energy is barely contributing. Solar and wind just aren't going to power Ontario alone.

View attachment 115038

Most of our renewables are old and more expensive contracts.
We just need more at the newer cheaper rates.

The global weighted-average cost of electricity of new onshore wind farms in 2019 was USD 0.053/kWh with country/region values of between USD 0.051 and USD 0.099/kWh depending on the region. Costs for the most competitive projects are now as low USD 0.030/kWh, without financial support. Costs are set to continue to decline, with no slowing in wind turbine price declines yet in evidence; continuing advancements in wind turbine technology (resulting in higher energy yields and thus capacity factors), economies of scale and O&M cost reductions.

 

[Moviefan-2]

Natural gas is a fossil fuel.

It's a fossil fuel that produces fewer emissions than other fossil fuels.

It also provides reliable energy at a reasonable cost - two things you could never say about wind and solar power.

 

[Moviefan-2]

Or you could listen to the experts.

Like this?:

Nuclear power paves the only viable path forward on climate change

To solve the climate problem, policy must be based on facts and not prejudice. Alongside renewables, Nuclear will make the difference between the world missing crucial climate targets or achieving them

www.theguardian.com

Or perhaps this?:

Nuclear Power in a Clean Energy System – Analysis - IEA

Nuclear Power in a Clean Energy System - Analysis and key findings. A report by the International Energy Agency.

www.iea.org