US EIA nudges up renewables generation forecast

The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) expects US power generation from non-hydro renewables to grow by 14.5% in 2016 and by 8.9% in 2017.

This is according to EIA's latest short-term energy outlook, released this week. In its May outlook, the statistical agency projected generation from renewables other than hydropower to increase by 13.3% this year and by 8.6% next year.

Total renewables used in the power sector are forecast to increase by 13% in 2016 and by a modest 3.3% in 2017, when hydropower generation is expected to decline.

EIA expects that from 2015 to 2017, about 14 GW of utility-scale photovoltaic (PV) capacity will be put online, compared to 13 GW or more in the May forecast.

Wind capacity, meanwhile, is now expected to increase by 10% in both 2016 and 2017, following a 13% increase in 2015. The May projection was for increases of 9% in 2016 and 10% in 2017.

In 2017, wind and utility-scale solar will account for almost 6% and for 1.2% of US electricity generation, respectively, according to the report.

In the first quarter of 2016, renewables supplied 9% of total US utility-scale generation, up from 6.9% in the same quarter of 2015.

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