Our annual report on electricity generation capacity in the United States breaks down the current and imminent generation of electricity by type of fuel, location, and ownership type. The report also looks at retirements, planned retirements, and cancellations since 2017.
In 2024, the United States had nearly 1.3 terawatts (TW) of generation capacity, as well as nearly 29,000 MW of energy storage, an 11,000 MW increase in energy storage in the past year. The largest fuel source for this capacity is natural gas (42.7%), followed by coal (15%). Wind, nuclear, solar, and hydro together account for more than one-third of capacity. Solar continues to be the main fuel type for new additions, with over 30,000 MW of solar energy added in 2024, nearly double the amount added in 2023.
This report also analyzes prospective generation capacity in four categories — under construction, permitted, application pending, and proposed. Nearly 469,000 MW of new generation capacity is under development in the United States. Sixty-six percent of the capacity that is most likely to come online, permitted plants and plants that are under construction, are in solar, followed by wind (19%). This includes 46,499 MW of capacity that is under preparation, testing, and construction that is projected to come online in 2025. Of the 165,188 MW of new energy storage that is under development in the United States, 15,306 MW of additional energy storage under preparation, testing, or construction is projected to come online in 2025.
Capacity additions (37,003 MW) outpace the total capacity retired (7,192 MW) in 2024. A plurality (49%) of the capacity retired in 2024 was coal-fired facilities, though significantly less coal was retired in 2024 (3,542 MW) than in 2023 (10,250 MW). Another 56,000 MW of coal-fired facilities are on track to retire by 2029.