Renewables are expected to account for 24 percent of U.S. renewable electricity generation this year, increasing to 26 percent in 2025, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s latest Short-Term Energy Outlook, released Jan. 10. Renewables accounted for 22 percent of U.S. electricity generation in 2023.
Biomass electricity generation reached 21.6 billion kilowatt hours (kWh) in 2023 and is expected to expand to 22.8 billion kWh in 2024 and 22.5 billion kWh in 2025. At that level of generation, biomass accounted for 2.47 percent of U.S. renewables generation last year and is expected to account for 2.3 percent and 2.1 percent, respectively, in 2024 and 2025.
The electric power sector had 2.9 gigawatts (GW) of waste biomass and 2.4 GW of wood biomass in place as of the end of 2023. Those levels of capacity are expected to remain stable though 2024 and 2025. The industrial sector had 5.3 GW of wood biomass and 1.4 GW of waste biomass capacity in place as of the end of last year. Those levels of capacity are also expected to be maintained throughout this year and next year.
The electric power sector consumed 0.168 quadrillion Btu (quad) of waste biomass in 2023. Consumption is expected to be maintained at that level this year but fall to 0.166 quad in 2025. Th sector also consumed 0.169 quad of waste biomass in 2023, with consumption expected to reach 0.189 quad in 2024 and 0.186 quad in 2025.
The industrial sector is expected to consume 0.158 quad of waste biomass in both 2024 and 2025, down slightly from 0.159 quad in 2023. The sector also consumed 1.238 quad of wood biomass last year, with consumption expected to increase to 1.353 quad in 2024 and 1.367 quad in 2025.
The commercial sector is expected to consume 0.071 quad of waste biomass in 2024 and 2025, down from 0.072 quad in 2023. The sector’s consumption of wood biomass was at 0.082 quad in 2023 and is expected to be maintained at that level in both 2024 and 2025.
The residential sector consumed 0.443 quad of wood biomass last year, with consumption expected to remain that that level this year and next year.
Across all sectors, waste biomass consumption was at 0.399 quad in 2023 and is expected to fall slightly to 0.397 quad in 2024 and 0.395 quad in 2025. Wood biomass consumption was at 1.932 quad last year and is expected to increase to 2.067 quad this year and 2.078 quad next year.
