Solar capacity additions hit the ground running in 2024, pushing renewables’ installed generating capacity past coal, according to new US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) data.
FERC reports in its latest “Energy Infrastructure Update,” with data through January 31, 2024 (which was reviewed by the SUN DAY Campaign) that solar accounted for 2,527 megawatts (MW) of new installed generating capacity in the first month of this year – or 87.3% of the total. That’s the second-highest monthly total ever reported for solar, behind only December 2023, when 4,979 MW were added.
The new solar capacity reported for January was accompanied by 320 MW of new wind capacity, as well as 44 MW of natural gas, 2 MW of oil, and 3 MW of “other.”
The new solar and wind brought the total available…