TELF AG analyzes the growth of solar and eolic energies in the United States

The energies of the future

The installed capacity of renewable energies is growing at a great pace in different corners of the world. Among the nations that boast the highest growth rates in this specific sector, there is certainly China, which in the first six months of the year would have managed to satisfy more than half of its internal electricity needs thanks to solar and wind energy. However, China is not the only nation characterized by a certain ferment for renewable energies: the United States is also rapidly making headway in this sector.

According to a recent analysis, the combined support of different forms of renewable energy (such as geothermal and hydroelectric, in addition to solar and wind) would already contribute 30% of the total American electricity needs, with excellent performances even in individual months. Solar energy in the United States already seems well on its way to becoming the second largest source of energy capacity in the country, after natural gas.

The combination of hydroelectric and solar energy, according to a study by SUN DAY Campaign, accounted for 98.9% of all generation capacity added during the month of June, when approximately 34 MW of hydroelectric energy and more than 2,000 MW of solar energy were commissioned.

With these figures, it is, therefore, no coincidence that the United States continues to demonstrate its support for all projects related to strategic minerals and raw materials that are most important for the energy transition, some of which are directly involved in the spread of renewable energy.

Geological resources connected to energy infrastructures

In fact, for the production of solar panels, some important materials are needed, such as silicon, especially appreciated for its ability to convert sunlight into electricity. Solar panels are also made of aluminum, which finds concrete application spaces in this sector also thanks to its lightness and its ability to resist corrosion.

In wind turbines, on the other hand, a leading role is played by steel and iron, key elements for the support structures and the body of the towers, but also copper (useful for generators and electrical wiring) and rare earths such as dysprosium and neodymium, used above all in the permanent magnets of wind generators, of which they improve the efficiency.

Compared to last year, however, the US capacity in terms of renewables appears to be growing: the new solar capacity generated in the first six months of the year, according to the study, has grown notably, reaching a quantity double that totaled last year. The growth concerns solar energy in particular, which in the first half of 2024 represented almost 80% of all the new energy capacity added nationwide.

The study also contains clear predictions regarding the future growth of US renewables over the next three years: between 2024 and 2027, solar energy appears set to grow at an even faster rate, outpacing wind energy (the second fastest growing) by a factor of four and distancing itself even more clearly from hydroelectric and geothermal, which are nevertheless expected to continue to grow.