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EGEB = Electrek Green Energy Brief: A daily technical, financial, and political roundup/analysis of news about green energy, such as wind, solar, sustainable technology, and electric vehicles.

The biggest solar farm east of the Mississippi is now powering Chicago

biggest solar farm east of the Mississippi

Swift Current Energy’s 800-megawatt (MW) Double Black Diamond Solar is up and running about 30 miles west of Springfield. It’s now the largest operating solar farm east of the Mississippi, and it’s set to make a serious dent in emissions while delivering clean energy to major customers, including the City of Chicago.

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The US wind industry’s 5-year outlook is now a total roller-coaster

US wind 5-year outlook

The US wind industry installed just 5.2 gigawatts (GW) in 2024 – the lowest level in a decade, according to Wood Mackenzie’s new US Wind Energy Monitor report. Installations are expected to rebound in 2025, but the real concern lies in US wind’s sharply downgraded 5-year outlook. As for the reason behind that bleak forecast, we’ll give you one guess as to why, and it starts with a T.

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EVs power up, oil demand growth slows: 2024’s rapid global energy shift – IEA

Rivian-R2-launch

Global energy demand spiked in 2024, driven largely by surging electricity use, according to a new report released today by the International Energy Agency (IEA). Electricity consumption jumped by nearly 1,100 terawatt-hours – a hefty 4.3% increase – nearly twice the annual average growth of the past decade.

This dramatic rise was largely fueled by the electrification of transportation, record-breaking global temperatures that ramped up cooling needs, coupled with increased industrial activity, and growing energy demand from data centers and AI applications.

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FERC: Solar + wind set for a strong 3-year run despite Trump’s sabotage

FERC solar wind

By February 1, 2028, renewables would account for 37.4% of total available installed utility-scale generating capacity – just behind natural gas (40.2%) – with solar and wind making up more than 75% of the installed renewable energy capacity, according to data just released by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).

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