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Maguire: Texas is the top US state for battery and renewable energy capacity.

Texas dominates the development of renewable energies and battery capacities in the United States. It is estimated that Texas has installed nearly 80% greater combined solar, battery and wind capacity than the second largest state.

Cleanview and U.S. Energy Information Administration data show that Texas will have 42,000 megawatts of wind power and 22,000 MW solar farms, and 6,500 MW utility-scale batteries by the end of 2024.

California is the second largest state in terms of the number of batteries and renewable energy sources. Florida, Arizona, and Colorado complete the top five list of U.S. States that are using renewables to increase their power supply.

The following is a breakdown on the size and growth rate of solar, battery storage and wind energy in the United States.

THE BIG 3.

Texas's rise as the nation's leader in clean energy has been fueled by rapid capacity expansion on multiple fronts.

According to the energy data portal Cleanview using EIA data and state-level statistics, Texas power companies have increased solar generation by 800% since 2019, wind capacity by 50%, and battery storage by a staggering 5,500%.

Texas installed 19,000 MW solar, 14,000MW wind, and 6,200MW battery capacity in the last five years.

According to Ember's estimates, these installations will result in wind and solar farms producing roughly 30% of electricity for the state in 2024. This is an increase from a combined solar-and-wind share of about 18% in 2019.

California now gets about 40% of its energy from solar and wind sources. This is up from 25% in 2019. The main reason for this increase in solar production has been the aggressive growth in solar generation.

California has added around 9,000 MW to its solar power system in the last year, bringing it to a total of 21,500 MW by 2024.

California's battery network grew from 240 MW to 11,000 MW over the same period. It is now the largest in the nation.

California's wind power footprint has remained largely constant at 6,430 MW over the past few years. This translates to a combined solar-wind and battery storage capability of about 40,000 MW.

Florida is the third largest state in terms of the footprint of renewables, and has the most battery capacity. However, it has no wind capacity. It trails behind the top five states when it comes to the cumulative solar, battery, and wind capacity of 11,500 MW.

The state's solar footprint has increased from less than 50MW in 2019 up to more than 10,500MW in 2024. This shows a strong current momentum in renewables production.

According to EIA's data, Florida's current battery capacity is around 575 MW. This places Florida fifth in the category.

The U.S. Department of Energy announced recently that it would invest nearly $30 million to increase the battery capacity of the power sector in California. This will help boost the overall battery capacity.

GROWTH MARKETS

Arizona, Colorado New Mexico, and Nevada are the second largest states when it comes to grid-scale renewables and battery storage combined.

The combined capacity of solar, wind, and batteries in each of these states is approximately 7,500-8300 MW. Each state's electricity sector will likely add solar and battery capacities over the next few years.

Arizona and Nevada are the states with the largest battery storage systems, at around 2,000MW and 1,125MW respectively. This should allow local utilities the ability to store excess solar power and distribute it later.

According to a Wood Mackenzie report, the United States is expected to deploy 62,000 MW grid-scale batteries between 2024-2028.

Before the end of this decade, an additional 10,000 MW residential storage capacity as well as around 2,500MW commercial and industrial storage are expected to be developed.

These are the opinions of the author who is a market analyst at.

(source: Reuters)