The U.S. Energy Information Administration currently expects renewables to account for nearly 26% of U.S. electricity generation this year, expanding to nearly 28% in 2027, according to the agency’s latest Short-Term Energy Outlook, released Feb. 10. Renewables accounted for 24% of U.S. electricity generation last year.&nbsp;Biomass is expected to account for 1.81% of U.S. renewable electricity generation in 2026, falling to 1.64% in 2027. Biomass accounted for 1.98% of U.S. renewable electricity generation in 2025.&nbsp;Biomass is currently expected to be used to generate 20.2 billion kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity in both 2026 and 2027, down from 20.5 billion kWh last year.&nbsp;The electric power sector had approximately 2.7 gigawatts (GW) of waste biomass capacity in place at the end of 2025. That level of capacity is expected to be maintained this year, increasing to 2.8 GW in 2027. The electric power sector also had 2.2 GW of wood biomass capacity in place at the end of last year, with that level of capacity expected to be unchanged in 2026 and 2027.The industrial and commercial sectors had 5.1 GW of wood biomass capacity and 1.3 GW of waste biomass capacity in place at the end of last year, with those levels of capacity currently expected to be maintained this year and next year.&nbsp;The electric power sector is expected to consume 0.154 quadrillion Btu (quad) of waste biomass this year, falling to 0.153 quad next year. Consumption was at 0.151 quad in 2025. The sector also consumed 0.166 quad of wood biomass last year, with consumption expected to fall to 0.158 quad this year and partially rebound to 0.159 quad in 2027.&nbsp;The industrial sector is expected to consume 0.153 quad of waste biomass in both 2026 and 2027, down from 0.154 quad in 2025. The sector also consumed 1.311 quad of wood biomass last year, with consumption expected to expand to 1.419 quad this year and 1.433 quad in 2027.&nbsp;The commercial sector consumed 0.067 quad of waste biomass and 0.072 quad of wood biomass in 2025, with those levels of consumption expected to be maintained in both 2026 and 2027.&nbsp;The residential sector is expected to consume 0.364 quad of wood biomass this year and next year, unchanged when compared to 2025.&nbsp;Across all sectors, waste biomass consumption is expected to reach 0.373 quad in both 2026 and 2027, up from 0.372 quad in 2025. Wood biomass consumption was at 1.914 quad last year and is expected to expand to 2.013 quad in 2026 and 2.028 quad in 2027.&nbsp;

2026-02-18 - EIA predicts slight increase in biomass power capacity for 2027 (Biomass Magazine)

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The U.S. Energy Information Administration currently expects renewables to account for nearly 26% of U.S. electricity generation this year, expanding to nearly 28% in 2027, according to the agency’s latest Short-Term Energy Outlook.

EIA predicts slight increase in biomass power capacity for 2027

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