In its
Annual Energy Outlook 2021 (AEO2021), the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) projects that the share of renewables in the U.S. electricity generation mix will increase from 21% in 2020 to 42% in 2050. Wind and solar generation are responsible for most of that growth. The renewable share is projected to increase as nuclear and coal-fired generation decrease and the natural gas-fired generation share remains relatively constant. By 2030, renewables will collectively surpass natural gas to be the predominant source of generation in the United States. Solar electric generation (which includes photovoltaic (PV) and thermal technologies and both small-scale and utility-scale installations) will surpass wind energy by 2040 as the largest source of renewable generation in the United States.
In the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA)
Annual Energy Outlook 2021 (AEO2021), EIA projects that U.S. energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions will decline for most years through the mid-2030s but then begin to rise slightly from the mid-2030s through 2050. In the AEO2021 Reference case, EIA projects that, by 2050, U.S. energy-related CO2 emissions will be 5% higher than 2020 levels.
EIA projects that decreases in CO2 emissions through the mid-2030s will largely be a result of changes in the carbon intensity (carbon dioxide per British thermal unit) of the fuel mix, especially in the electric power sector. EIA projects the mix of fuels used to generate electricity to continue to transition from relatively carbon-intensive coal to less carbon-intensive sources, such as natural gas, and carbon-free renewable energy.