Because our customers span a wide range of industries and power generation methods, we like to keep a close eye on energy-related trends and forecasts.

This month the U.S. Energy Information Administration released its short-term energy forecast heading into the 2018 summer season.  Highlights from that outlook included the following:

• It is expected that the share of U.S. total utility-scale electricity generation from natural gas-fired power plants to rise from 32% in 2017 to 34% in 2018 and to remain at 34% in 2019.
• In addition, the forecast electricity generation share from coal is expected to average 29% in both 2018 and 2019, down from 30% in 2017.
• The nuclear share of generation was 20% in 2017 and is forecast to average 20% in 2018 and 19% in 2019.
• Non-hydropower renewables provided slightly less than 10% of electricity generation in 2017 and are expected to provide 10% in 2018 and nearly 11% in 2019.
• The generation share of hydropower was about 7% in 2017 and is forecast to fall to less than 7% in both 2018 and 2019.
• In 2017 EIA estimated that wind generated an average of 697,000 megawatthours per day (MWh/d). EIA projects that will rise to 735,000 MWh/d in 2018 and to 779,000 MWh/d in 2019.

They also noted that if factors such as precipitation and snowpack remain as forecasted, conventional hydropower is projected to generate 732,000 MWh/d in 2019, making it the first year that wind generation would exceed hydropower generation in the United States.

To see all of the forecasted statistics from the EIA, you can access the full report here.

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For more information about how IEM can help you address your power distribution needs, please feel free to contact us today.