A new report concludes that the United States' overall fuel mix five years from now will not be dramatically different from the current mix. The report also says that natural gas will continue to be the leading generation resource at the end of 2020, according to the American Public Power Association.
The APPA issued the report that examined U.S. generation capacity, which analyzes prospective generation capacity in four categories: under construction, permitted, application pending and proposed.
The report said that nearly 372,000 MW of new generation capacity is under development in the U.S., which breaks out as follows: 92,000 MW under construction or permitted and just under 280,000 MW proposed or pending application. The report said that natural gas will continue to be the top fuel source for new capacity in the near and distant future, followed by wind. A growing amount of generating capacity is expected to be fueled by solar.
"While the overall capacity mix in the United States will change, it will do so at a gradual pace," the report said. "Coal and other traditional forms of electric generation are being displaced by wind, solar, and other forms of renewable generation. Environmental regulations as well as the speed at which certain resources can be developed might spur more significant changes. However, the overall fuel mix five years from now will not be dramatically different from the current mix."
