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The United States Energy Information Administration (“EIA”) issued a November 7th report titled:

EIA Expects U.S. Annual Solar Electricity Generation to Surpass Hydropower in 2024 (“Report’)

The Report forecasts that the United States will generate 14% more electricity from solar energy than from hydropower electric facilities in 2024.

The information is generated by EIA’s publication Short-Term Energy Outlook. Further, the forecast is stated to be driven by what it describes as:

. . . continued growth in new utility-scale and small-scale solar facilities.

From a monthly standpoint, the Report notes that in September 2022 the United States had more solar-generated electricity than hydroelectric generation. This was based on U.S. solar power plants and rooftop solar generating 19 billion kilowatt hours compared to 17 billion kilowatt hours from U.S. hydropower plants.

Additional key figures from the Report note that from 2009 to 2022 installed solar capacity increased at an average rate of 44% per year. Installed hydropower capacity increased by less than 1% each year. Annual wind generation surpassed annual hydropower generation in 2019.

The Report also notes in part:

• Incentives such as investment tax credits have encouraged growth in renewable generation capacity.
• By August 2023 installed U.S. solar capacity totaled more than 125 gigawatts.
• Hydroelectric capacity in the United states has remained relatively steady at about 80 gigawatts for the past few decades.
• Hydropower generation depends on seasonal hydrological conditions/long-term weather trends.
• Hydropower continues to be a key source in the hourly pattern of generation areas like the Pacific Northwest.

A copy of the Report can be downloaded here.