The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) in its first forecast for 2021 suggests the share of renewables in the utility-scale U.S. power generation mix will surge to 22%, up from 17% last year, while coal and nuclear’s shares will be further diminished.
According to the agency’s latest Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), released Jan. 14, coal’s share of U.S. power generation—which was 46% in 2010—was just 24% in 2019, and will fall to 21% this year and in 2021. Nuclear’s share, which averaged slightly more more than 20% in 2019, will fall to slightly less than 20% in 2021, consistent with upcoming reactor retirements.
