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Utility-scale solar generation is expected to increase 19% this summer compared with last summer, reflecting a 20% increase in capacity, said the Energy Information Administration.
Utility-scale solar generation is expected to increase 19% this summer compared to last summer, reflecting a 20% increase in capacity, while coal generation is expected to decline by 2%, according to a report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
This summer is also set to be hotter than last year’s, EIA said, with an anticipated 3% increase in cooling degree days from June to September this year. That increase is set to correspond with a 3% increase in generation, or an additional 1,620 billion kWh.
“We expect the increase will be met almost entirely by increased generation from renewable fuel sources,” EIA said in a Short-Term Energy Outlook report released Tuesday.
Wind generation is forecast to increase 10% year-over-year, “consistent with a nearly 8% rise in average wind capacity this summer relative to last summer,” EIA said. “We also forecast smaller increases of approximately 5% and 1% in hydro and nuclear generation, respectively.”
The report also forecast decreases in coal production “across all producing regions through at least December 2027,” and “coal consumption to decrease by 11% in 2Q26 compared with the same period last year.”
“Coal consumption is mostly driven by consumption in the electric power sector,” EIA said. “During 1Q26, coal consumption declined by 11% compared with the same period last year. A warm March and April combined with lower natural gas prices have reduced the need to burn coal.”
However, “warmer-than-normal temperatures may lead to an increase in coal consumption over the summer, especially if natural gas prices rise in tandem,” EIA said.
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The guidelines call for utilities to charge large-load customers for upgrades that “would not have been needed ‘but for’ the interconnection” of that customer, “irrespective of whether other customers will benefit” from the infrastructure.
The Midcontinent Independent System Operator is expected to have growing capacity surpluses over the next five years, according to the OMS-MISO survey.
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Get the free daily newsletter read by industry experts
The guidelines call for utilities to charge large-load customers for upgrades that “would not have been needed ‘but for’ the interconnection” of that customer, “irrespective of whether other customers will benefit” from the infrastructure.
The Midcontinent Independent System Operator is expected to have growing capacity surpluses over the next five years, according to the OMS-MISO survey.
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