The United States increased its electricity generation from utility-scale solar power by nearly one-third in the first half of this year compared to the same period last year.

Despite that considerable increase in solar, the climate benefits of this growth were undermined by a rapid rise in electricity demand, which was met in large part by an increase in generation from fossil fuels.

This week, the Energy Information Administration released electricity generation statistics for June, which allows for a close look at where we stand halfway through 2024. The numbers tell a story of a country moving in the right direction, but not nearly fast enough.

First, the topline: Generation from utility-scale power plants was 2.1 million gigawatt-hours from January to June, an increase of 5 percent from January to June of 2023. That’s the highest percentage increase in decades when comparing the first half of a year to the first half of the prior year.

Grid planners and analysts have warned that the country is entering a period of rapid growth in electricity consumption to meet the needs of data centers, factories and other new construction. This follows a […]