On January 29, 2015, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) released the Energy Infrastructure Report with data through December 2014. The report shows natural gas, wind, and solar represented more than 95% of the new utility-scale capacity installed in the United States in 2014. Natural gas was the primary source of new generation with wind and solar ranking second and third, respectively.
Key Details
New Generation In-Service (New Build and Expansion)
Source: FERC
Implications
While natural gas will remain the dominant source of new generation, significant additions from wind and solar are also expected over the next two years. Congress recently extended the PTC to projects beginning construction in 2014. Consequently, the majority of 12,000 MW of wind capacity under development will qualify for the PTC. Solar development will see an uptick as projects are constructed to take advantage of the 30% federal investment tax credit, which will decline to 10% for commercial projects in 2017.
More Information
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