Solar ‘could provide 40% of the US electricity by 2035’

The US needs to quadruple it’s annual solar capacity which could then provide 45% of demand within 15 years

Solar energy could become a reliable path to decarbonise the US grid, providing 40% of the US electricity by 2035.

That’s according to a new report by the US Department of Energy, which estimates the nation brought online a record number of solar installations last year, an estimated 15GW.

With these additions, US solar power reached a total of 76GW, representing 3% of the current electricity supply.

The report also says the nation would need to quadruple its annual solar capacity and continue to increase it year by year.

By 2050, solar energy could provide 1,600GW, generating more electricity than consumed in all residential and commercial buildings in the country today, the authors of the report predicted.

Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm said: “Achieving this bright future requires a massive and equitable deployment of renewable energy and strong decarbonisation policies, exactly what is laid out in the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and President Biden’s Build Back Better agenda.”

In April the US President announced a new climate target to cut the nation’s carbon dioxide emissions by up to 52% from 2005 levels in 2030.

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