Currently, just three percent of US electricity comes from solar power, but that could soon change as the Energy Department’s Solar Futures Study finds that 40 percent of all electricity could be generated by solar by 2035.
In addition to upping solar contributions, the study finds that 95 percent of all US energy could be generated by renewable sources in the same timeframe. To achieve this ambitious goal, the US would need to add twice as much solar in the next year as it did last, and quadruple last year’s additions between 2025 and 2035.
Today, renewable energy accounts for about 20 percent of US energy consumption. The current administration says it will strive to increase solar capacity to meet the goal of 40 percent solar by 2035.
This newest commitment to a green energy transition builds upon the administration’s plans to expand offshore wind capacity and other renewable sources in a bid for the US to reach carbon neutrality by 2050.
Source study: US Energy Department – Solar Futures Study