News: 0178842916

  ARM Give a man a fire and he's warm for a day, but set fire to him and he's warm for the rest of his life (Terry Pratchett, Jingo)

Solar Energy Was America's Largest Source of New Energy for 21 Straight Months (electrek.co)

(Saturday August 23, 2025 @11:34PM (EditorDavid) from the here-comes-the-sun dept.)


"Solar and wind accounted for almost 91% of new U.S. electrical generating capacity added in the first five months of 2025..." [1]reports Electrek , citing new data from America's Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

"Solar has now been the largest source of new generating capacity added each month for 21 consecutive months, starting September 2023."

> The 11,518 MW of solar added during the first five months of 2025 was 75.3% of the total new capacity placed into service... Between January and May, new wind provided 2,379 MW of capacity additions, accounting for 15.6% of all new capacity added during the first five months of 2025. For the first five months of 2025, solar and wind comprised 90.9% of new capacity while natural gas (1,381 MW) provided just 9.0%; the remaining 0.1% came from oil (14 MW). Solar + wind are 22.9% of U.S. utility-scale generating capacity.

>

> The installed capacities of solar (11.1%) and wind (11.8%) are now each more than a tenth of the U.S. total. Taken together, they constitute 22.9% of the U.S.'s total available installed utility-scale generating capacity. At least 25-30% of U.S. solar capacity is in the form of small-scale (e.g., rooftop) systems that are [2]not reflected in FERC's data . Including that additional solar capacity would bring the share provided by solar + wind to more than a quarter of the U.S. total. With the inclusion of hydropower (7.7%), biomass (1.1%), and geothermal (0.3%), renewables currently claim a 32.0% share of total US utility-scale generating capacity. If small-scale solar capacity is included, renewables are now about one-third of total US generating capacity....

>

> Taken together, the net new "high probability" capacity additions by all renewable energy sources over the next three years — the bulk of the Trump Administration's remaining time in office — would total 113,097 MW. There is no new nuclear capacity in FERC's three-year forecast, while coal and oil are projected to contract by 24,913 MW and 1,907 MW, respectively... If FERC's current "high probability" additions materialize by May 1, 2028, solar will account for 16.7% of US installed utility-scale generating capacity. Wind would provide an additional 12.7% of the total. Thus, each would be greater than coal (12.2%) and substantially more than nuclear power or hydropower (each 7.2%). In fact, assuming current growth rates continue, the installed capacity of utility-scale solar is likely to surpass that of either coal or wind within two years...

>

> At the end of 2024, the mix of all renewables accounted for 30.96% of total generating capacity. Solar alone was 10.19% while wind was 11.68%. By the end of May, renewables' share had risen to 31.98% with solar at 11.13% and wind at 11.80%.

[3]FERC also says that 43 "units" of solar totaling 1,515 megawatts (MW) were placed into service in May, according to the article, "accounting for 58.7% of all new generating capacity added during the month."



[1] https://electrek.co/2025/08/21/ferc-solar-wind-made-up-91-of-new-us-power-generating-capacity-to-end-of-may-2025/

[2] https://www.eia.gov/outlooks/steo/report/BTL/2023/09-smallscalesolar/article.php

[3] https://cms.ferc.gov/media/energy-infrastructure-update-may-2025



Fusion .. the only way forward (Score:3)

by backslashdot ( 95548 )

We need to get energy from fusion. If only we had a giant reactor.

Re: (Score:2)

by DrMrLordX ( 559371 )

Okay you got a Dyson sphere to go with it? Didn't think so. We might want to build some smaller ones.

the key word - "WAS" (Score:5, Informative)

by sdinfoserv ( 1793266 )

Lord Trumpkin just slammed the door on further renewable development. The Trump administration will approve no new solar or wind farm development: [1]https://san.com/cc/trump-says-... [san.com]

Going even farther, he blames renewables for rising electrical prices: [2]https://apnews.com/article/tru... [apnews.com]

[1] https://san.com/cc/trump-says-federal-government-will-not-approve-new-wind-farms-or-solar-projects/

[2] https://apnews.com/article/trump-electricity-prices-wind-solar-7c089e33bf237a218f7ea9fe54ecb019

Re: (Score:2)

by arglebargle_xiv ( 2212710 )

Oh, it definitely is, we wouldn't have rainbows if it wasn't for solar energy. Better get that woke sun defunded quick smart.

Re: the key word - "WAS" (Score:2)

by memory_register ( 6248354 )

Modular nuclear makes way more sense than solar. Easier to maintain and much smaller footprint. Stop getting angry at politicians and listen to common sense

Its been the cheapest power for a while (Score:5, Informative)

by BrightCandle ( 636365 )

Per MWh Solar and Wind are cheaper than anything else so they are leading across the globe just on the economics. The decline in Solar pricing has been astounding over the past 15 years its really a technology that has matured and got very cheap compared to what it compares to. It also scales really well you can deploy a few panels on a balcony to offset some electrical costs all the way up to many MW farms deployed in open areas. It pays for itself in 5-10 years and will produce 80% of its rated power at least 25 yeas after install. There is a reason its most of the power being deployed.

Re: (Score:2)

by haruchai ( 17472 )

Starting from about 2012, USA should have deployed solar everywhere below roughly the 38th parallel as quickly as possible & worked to have better interconnects between the various grids especially to be able to shunt power across the southern latitudes from FL to CA and back, including & especially through TX

Re: (Score:3)

by timeOday ( 582209 )

Federal intransigence will have an impact, but I'd like to see a more detailed analysis of how much, because most solar development does not require federal approval. Not unless it's on federal land, or using federal funding, or some cases of environmental protection such as wetlands. So, it's unclear to me what the effect will be.

Re: (Score:2)

by sg_oneill ( 159032 )

I suspect a lot of it is patents expiring. The university I went to had a giant solar power research lab thingo at the back of it, and I'd go down there occasionally on campus busibness. One of the guys there claimed part of the problem was BP and certain other oil companies had a number of the key solar patents locked up and where charging through the nose to use them, This was 25 years ago, and a lot of those patents have expired in the time since. Be very wary when oil companies get involved with renewab

In a few generations (Score:1)

by TheStatsMan ( 1763322 )

Interior lighting will be a thing of the past. That is, unless solar and wind power are scaled massively. Nuclear won't be enough alone. Even with all three, it's doubtful the energy debt caused by the depletion of fossil fuels will be overcome.

Re: (Score:1)

by drake3d ( 1053628 )

Yes, we need to get Trump and all his cronies out and soon or this will just be the beginning of our fall to a Mad Max dystopia. Between elimanating research across the board in pretty much all fields except maybe weapons, destoying our medical system, education system and so on we are doomed to be a movie of the week if this is allowed to continue.

Sure, for now (Score:2)

by memory_register ( 6248354 )

Wait until modular nuclear takes off. It is the only way we can feed the AI beast.

Please come home with me ... I have Tylenol!!