Net electric generating capacity increase in 2016 largest net change in five years

The United States saw a net increase in electric generating capacity of nearly 15 gigawatts (GW), the largest net change since 2011, according to a new U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) report.

In 2016, the United States added over 27 GW of generating capacity to the electric grid and retired approximately 12 GW of capacity.

In contrast, 2015 brought about the largest new drop in capacity ever recorded in the United States, which was a net decrease of four GW.

In 2016, over 60 percent of the added capacity was through wind (8.7 GW) and solar (7.7 GW) generation, while 33 percent came from natural gas (nine GW). This made 2016 the biggest year ever for solar additions. Utility-scale solar additions in 2016 exceeded all of the utility-scale solar that had been added since 2013.

From 2002 to 2006, natural gas represented the largest share of capacity additions every year. Utility-scale solar additions have increased every year since 2008 with the exception of 2014.

Coal added less than one GW of capacity in 2016, as it has for the last four years. Watts Bar Unit two, the first new nuclear plant to come online since 1996, brought about a one GW increase in nuclear generating capacity.

Since 2002, the United States has retired approximately 53 GW each of coal and natural gas capacity, as well as five GW of nuclear capacity from 2013 to 2016. Most operating coal plants were built before 1980 and most hydroelectric facilities are even older. Almost all of the United States’ natural gas and renewable capacity was built after 2000.