Utility-scale solar capacity eclipses nuclear

Installed utility-scale solar capacity in the U.S. surpassed that of nuclear power as of January 2024, according to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).

Solar had its second-biggest month ever in January, with 2,527 megawatts (MW) of new generating capacity coming online that month alone. With these additions, installed utility-scale solar capacity (104.61-GW) now exceeds nuclear power (103.27-GW). Total solar capacity in the U.S. is even higher than FERC reports, because their measure of utility scale solar does not include small-scale, distributed solar, which accounts for almost a third of solar-generated electricity in the United States.

Although solar facilities are not yet producing as much electricity as nuclear power plants (because solar panels don’t produce power at night and produce less on cloudy days), renewables as a whole continue to out-produce nuclear – as they has for the past several years. In January, renewables once again surpassed nuclear-generated electricity by over 10%.

“Today, you can get energy straight from your roof,” said Johanna Neumann, Senior Director of the Campaign for 100% Renewable Energy for Environment America Research & Policy Center. “Harnessing the power of the sun is one of the most cost-effective ways to meet our energy needs.”