Energy Production Scaling

Extracted Attributes

• Benefits

  Cleaner consumption, improved public health, less air pollution, less noisy.

• Key Types

  Solar energy, wind power, hydropower, bioenergy, geothermal power.

• Cost Trend

  Rapidly become more efficient and cheaper over the past 30 years; solar and wind have seen significant cost reductions.

• Definition

  Energy made from renewable natural resources that are replenished on a human timescale.

• Primary Motivation

  To slow and eventually stop climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

• US Economy Expansion (2024)

  2.8%.

• US Wafer Production Capacity

  Starting from a low base, 14 GW if all planned projects proceed.

• US Wind Manufacturing Status

  Lagged, with declining investment and limited capacity expansion.

• US Energy Productivity (2024)

  Increased 2.3% year on year.

• Cheapest New-Build Electricity

  Photovoltaic solar or onshore wind in most countries.

• US Battery Manufacturing Capacity

  Exceeds current deployment levels, on track for Net Zero Scenario.

• US New Capacity Composition (2024)

  Over two-thirds solar and storage.

• US New Capacity Applications (2024)

  317 GW applied to interconnect in seven U.S. independent system operators.

• US Solar Cell Manufacturing Capacity

  24% of deployment levels, with 19 GW under construction and 31 GW announced.

• US Energy Productivity (Past 10 years)

  Increased 29%.

• US Primary Energy Consumption Growth (2024)

  0.5% year on year.

Timeline

• Renewable energy grew from 20% to 28% of global electricity supply. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2011-2021

• Power from sun and wind grew from a combined 2% to 10% of global electricity supply. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2011-2021

• Renewables accounted for over 30% of global electricity generation. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2024

• US economy expanded 2.8%. (Source: Web Search)

  2024

• US primary energy consumption grew 0.5% year on year. (Source: Web Search)

  2024

• US energy productivity increased 2.3%. (Source: Web Search)

  2024

• 317 GW of new capacity applied to interconnect in the seven U.S. independent system operators. (Source: Web Search)

  2024

• Contracted solar capacity outpaced wind capacity. (Source: Web Search)

  2024

• US added 4.8 GW of utility-scale wind capacity. (Source: Web Search)

  2024

• Contracted solar capacity projected to grow to twice the contracted wind capacity. (Source: Web Search)

  2025

• Renewables projected to reach over 45% of global electricity generation. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2030

• International Energy Agency estimates 90% of global electricity will need to be generated by renewables to achieve net zero emissions. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2050

Renewable energy

Renewable energy (also called green energy) is energy made from renewable natural resources that are replenished on a human timescale. The most widely used renewable energy types are solar energy, wind power, and hydropower. Bioenergy and geothermal power are also significant in some countries. Some also consider nuclear power a renewable power source, although this is controversial, as nuclear energy requires mining uranium, a nonrenewable resource. Renewable energy installations can be large or small and are suited for both urban and rural areas. Renewable energy is often deployed together with further electrification. This has several benefits: electricity can move heat and vehicles efficiently and is clean at the point of consumption. Variable renewable energy sources are those that have a fluctuating nature, such as wind power and solar power. In contrast, controllable renewable energy sources include dammed hydroelectricity, bioenergy, or geothermal power. Renewable energy systems have rapidly become more efficient and cheaper over the past 30 years. A large majority of worldwide newly installed electricity capacity is now renewable. Renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power, have seen significant cost reductions over the past decade, making them more competitive with traditional fossil fuels. In most countries, photovoltaic solar or onshore wind are the cheapest new-build electricity. From 2011 to 2021, renewable energy grew from 20% to 28% of global electricity supply. Power from the sun and wind accounted for most of this increase, growing from a combined 2% to 10%. Use of fossil energy shrank from 68% to 62%. In 2024, renewables accounted for over 30% of global electricity generation and are projected to reach over 45% by 2030. Many countries already have renewables contributing more than 20% of their total energy supply, with some generating over half or even all their electricity from renewable sources. The main motivation to use renewable energy instead of fossil fuels is to slow and eventually stop climate change, which is mostly caused by their greenhouse gas emissions. In general, renewable energy sources pollute much less than fossil fuels. The International Energy Agency estimates that to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, 90% of global electricity will need to be generated by renewables. Renewables also cause much less air pollution than fossil fuels, improving public health, and are less noisy. The deployment of renewable energy still faces obstacles, especially fossil fuel subsidies, lobbying by incumbent power providers, and local opposition to the use of land for renewable installations. Like all mining, the extraction of minerals required for many renewable energy technologies also results in environmental damage. In addition, although most renewable energy sources are sustainable, some are not.

Web Search Results

• Innovative approaches to scaling up hydrogen production and ...

  contributes to the evolving landscape of hydrogen production technologies, offering scalable and sustainable solutions for meeting growing energy demands. [...] energy systems. [...] significantly reduce emissions, the associated costs and energy requirements remain challenges .

• Energy storage - IEA

  The rapid scaling up of energy storage systems will be critical to address the hour‐to‐hour variability of wind and solar PV electricity generation on the grid, especially as their share of generation increases rapidly in the Net Zero Scenario. Meeting rising flexibility needs while decarbonising electricity generation is a central challenge for the power sector, so all sources of flexibility need to be tapped, including grid reinforcements, demand‐side response, grid-scale batteries and [...] Grid-scale battery storage needs to grow significantly to get on track with the Net Zero Scenario. While battery costs have fallen dramatically in recent years due to the scaling up of electric vehicle production, market disruptions and competition from electric vehicle makers have led to rising costs for key minerals used in battery production, notably lithium. It is now becoming evident that further cost reductions rely not just on technological innovation, but also on the prices of battery [...] Grid-scale battery storage needs to grow significantly to get on track with the Net Zero Scenario. While battery costs have fallen dramatically in recent years due to the scaling up of electric vehicle production, market disruptions and competition from electric vehicle makers have led to rising costs for key minerals used in battery production, notably lithium. It is now becoming evident that further cost reductions rely not just on technological innovation, but also on the prices of battery

• 2025 Factbook Key Trends - Business Council for Sustainable Energy

  In 2024, the U.S. economy expanded 2.8 percent, while primary energy consumption grew 0.5 percent year on year, resulting in a 2.3 percent increase in U.S. energy productivity. Energy productivity – a measure of economic output per unit of energy consumed in the United States – is an essential metric to grade our country’s competitiveness in the global market. Over the past 10 years, U.S. energy productivity has increased 29 percent. [...] Image 2: Trends in U.S. Energy Productivity ### The economy is expanding, and U.S. energy productivity is increasing alongside it. [...] In 2024 alone, 317 GW of new capacity applied to interconnect in the seven U.S. independent system operators, representing nearly a third of the current installed U.S. power system. Over two-thirds of this new capacity is solar and storage.

• 2025 Renewable Energy Industry Outlook | Deloitte Insights

  Over the next year, renewable configurations could change to meet the demand for clean power. At the utility-scale level, modularity and ease of permitting are expected to drive contracted solar capacity, which outpaced wind in 2024, to grow to twice the contracted wind capacity in 2025.34 Deals may scale, as reflected in the numerous largest-ever renewable power purchase agreements signed with technology companies this year for data centers globally.35 Value in scaling can also be captured at [...] While the Court turned down three other emergency docket requests to stay EPA rules on reducing mercury, methane, and carbon emissions,27 these rules remain in litigation and could be impacted by changes with a new administration. Image 28 2. Data centers: AI expands renewable scale and capabilities ------------------------------------------------------------ ### Scaling renewables at data center pace [...] guidance expected by the end of 2024.50 The incoming Trump administration could potentially revisit the proposed standards, with some industry players expecting loosened rules.51 Again, stricter European standards could boost green hydrogen production seeking to serve the largest export market opportunity. Another area to watch that could sidestep this issue altogether is the search for naturally occurring hydrogen by technology and manufacturing company-backed startups.

• The State of US Clean Energy Supply Chains in 2025

  Since the IRA’s enactment, battery and solar manufacturing have seen the strongest growth in both investment and capacity. ZEV manufacturing capacity is also scaling steadily. In contrast, wind manufacturing has lagged, with declining investment, few new project announcements, and limited capacity expansion. Domestic battery manufacturing capacity for cells and modules now exceeds current deployment levels. Based on Rhodium Group projections for ZEV sales and grid-scale storage, it is on track [...] In 2024, the US added 4.8 GW of utility-scale wind capacity. Annual domestic production capacity for towers and nacelles matches this deployment level, but the blade manufacturing capacity is 11% less than what was deployed in 2024. [...] The next stages—converting polysilicon into wafers, ingots, and ultimately PV cells—represent some of the most critical gaps in US manufacturing capacity. Current domestic cell manufacturing capacity equals only 24% of deployment levels. The pipeline includes 19 GW of solar cell production capacity currently under construction and roughly 31 GW in announced projects. In the wafer stage, the US is starting from a low base, but if all planned projects proceed, 14 GW of wafer production capacity