Solar power will be by far the largest source of new electricity in 2022, according to a report from the US Energy Information Administration, EIA. A total of 46.1 GW of new electricity production will be taken into use in 2022, and 21.5 of these GW will come from solar power.
This corresponds to 46 percent of all new production capacity. It is also a large increase from last year when solar power was expanded by 15.5 GW. Most solar power will be built in Texas, which accounts for 28 percent of all new solar power.
Natural gas is the second-largest source of new electricity this year. EIA expects that new natural gas power plants will have a production of 9.6 GW this year. This will be 21 percent of all new electricity production.
In third place is wind power, which will account for 7.6 GW or 17 percent of all new electricity. Half of all new wind power production will be built in Texas. The state, otherwise best known for its oil industry, is thus becoming something of a mecca for renewable electricity.
The battery capacity for storing electricity when the sun is not shining and the wind is not blowing will increase sharply in 2020. EIA predicts that battery storage will increase by 84 percent. This means that an additional 5.1 GW will be able to be stored in batteries and balance for peaks and troughs in electricity production.
Kent Olofsson
Kent Olofsson
Anna Rennéus Guthrie
