Developers and power plant owners added 20.2 GW of utility-scale electricity generating capacity in the United States during the first half of 2024, according to the Energy Information Administration’s latest ‘Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory’, despite fossil retirements. This is 3.6 GW (21%) more than was added during the first six months of 2023. Based on the most recently reported data, developers and owners expect to add another 42.6 GW of capacity in the second half of the year.

As in 2023, solar accounted for the largest share of newly operating US capacity during the first half of 2024. Solar additions totalled 12 GW, 59% of the total. Texas and Florida made up 38% of new solar. The 690 MW Gemini solar and storage facility in Nevada and the 653-MW Lumina Solar Project in Texas were the largest projects that came online during H1 2024.

Second was battery storage, which made up 21% (4.2 GW). Battery additions were concentrated in four states: California (37% of the total), Texas (24%), Arizona (19%), and Nevada (13%). The 380 MW battery storage Gemini and the 300 MW Eleven Mile Solar Centre in Arizona were the two largest projects to come online during the period.

Wind power made up 12% (2.5 GW) of capacity additions. Canyon Wind (309 MW) and Goodnight (266 MW), both located in Texas, were the largest wind projects to come online.

Nuclear power also increased its presence. Unit 4 (1114 MW) at Georgia’s Vogtle nuclear power plant began commercial operations in April, making Vogtle the largest nuclear facility in the United States and the only one with four nuclear power reactors.

Retirements in US generating capacity has slowed this year. Operators retired 5.1 GW of capacity in the first half of the year, while during H1 2023 9.2 GW of generation was retired. In the first half of 2024, more than half (53%) of the retired capacity had been firing natural gas, followed by coal at 41%.

The largest coal retirements include Seminole Electric Co-operative’s Unit 1 (626.0 MW) in Florida, which retired in January, and Homer City Generating Station’s Unit 1 (626.1 MW) in Pennsylvania, which retired in April. The six-unit, 1413-MW Mystic Generating Station combined-cycle facility in Massachusetts was the largest natural gas retirement this year and had been the third-largest power plant in New England.

Plans for additions and retirements

Developers plan to add 42.6 GW of new capacity in H2 2024. Nearly 60% of that is from solar (25 GW), followed by battery storage (10.8 GW) and wind (4.6 GW).

If utilities add all the solar capacity they are currently planning, solar capacity additions will total 37 GW in 2024, a record in any one year and almost double last year’s 18.8 GW.

Utilities could also add a record amount of battery storage capacity this year (15 GW) if all planned additions come online. Plans for storage in Texas and California currently account for 81% of new storage capacity in H2 2024.

About 2.4 GW of capacity is scheduled to retire during the same period, including 0.7 GW of coal and 1.1 GW of natural gas.