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Builders added 12 gigawatts (GW) of recent utility-scale photo voltaic electrical producing capability in america in the course of the first half of 2025, and so they plan so as to add one other 21 GW within the second half of the yr, in line with our newest survey of electrical producing capability adjustments. If these plans are realized, photo voltaic would account for greater than half of the 64 GW that builders plan to deliver on-line this yr. Battery storage, wind, and pure fuel energy crops account for just about the entire remaining capability additions for 2025.
Builders might set a report for capability additions if all 64 GW come on-line this yr. The earlier report for U.S. producing capability additions was set in 2002, when builders added 58 GW to the grid, 57 GW of which was fueled by pure fuel. Though builders have added pure gas-fired capability annually since then, different applied sciences comparable to wind, photo voltaic, and battery storage have change into extra prevalent choices for brand spanking new capability.
If deliberate capability additions for photo voltaic photovoltaic and battery storage capacities are realized, each applied sciences will add extra capability than in any earlier yr. For each applied sciences, this development is basically attributable to adjustments occurring in Texas.
About 27% (3.2 GW) of the photo voltaic capability added to this point in 2025 is in Texas, and builders plan to deliver one other 9.7 GW of photo voltaic on-line in Texas within the second half of this yr. Final yr, Texas surpassed California because the state with the most utility-scale photo voltaic capability.
Battery storage accounted for the second-largest share of capability additions within the first half of the yr, at 26% (5.9 GW), about half of which was in Arizona or California. Builders in Texas predict to deliver 7.0 GW of battery storage capability on-line in 2025, with a lot of that capability coming on-line within the second half of the yr.
Builders retired comparatively little producing capability within the first half of 2025. Of the 8.7 GW of electrical producing capability that U.S. operators plan to retire throughout 2025, solely 2.0 GW was retired within the first half of the yr. In contrast with the deliberate 2025 capability retirements reported on the starting of the yr, greater than 3.6 GW has now been delayed or canceled, together with plans to retire the coal-fired Models 1 and a couple of of Brandon Shores (1.3 GW) and oil-fired Models 3 and 4 of Herbert A Wagner (0.7 GW) in Maryland in addition to the pure gas-fired Models 1, 2, and three of the V H Braunig plant (0.9 GW) in Texas. If present retirement intentions are realized, coal-fired energy crops will account for 71% of the retired capability this yr, adopted by pure fuel (19%).
Article first printed on Right this moment in Vitality. Principal contributors: Workplace of Vitality Statistics employees.
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