Renewables are expected to account for 25% of U.S. electricity generation this year, increasing to 27% in 2026, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s latest Short-Term Energy Outlook, released April 10. Renewables accounted for 23% of U.S. electricity production last year.
Biomass is expected to account for 1.96% of renewable electricity generation this year, falling to 1.79% in 2026. Biomass accounted for 2.16% of renewable electricity generation in 2024.
According to the EIA, biomass is expected to be used to generate 20.9 billion kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity in 2025, falling to 20.6 billion kWh in 2026. Biomass generation was at 20.5 billion kWh in 2024.
The electric power sector had 2.7 gigawatts (GW) of waste biomass capacity and 2.3 GW of wood biomass capacity in place at the end of 2024. Those levels of capacity are expected to remain unchanged in 2025 and 2026.
The industrial and commercial sectors had 5.3 GW of wood biomass capacity and 1.3 GW of waste biomass capacity in place at the end of last year. Those levels of capacity are also expected to be unchanged this year and next year.
The electric power sector is expected to consume 0.155 quadrillion Btu (quad) of waste biomass in 2025 and 2026, down from 0.156 quad in 2024. Wood biomass consumption was at 0.162 quad last year and is forecast at 0.171 quad in 2025 and 0.167 quad in 2026.
The industrial sector consumed 0.153 quad of waste biomass last year. That level of consumption is expected to be maintained in 2025 and 2026. The sector also consumed 1.219 quad of wood biomass in 2024, with consumption expected to increase to 1.33 quad in 2025 and 1.372 quad in 2026.
The commercial sector consumed 0.069 quad of waste biomass last year. That level of consumption is expected to be maintained in 2025, falling to 0.068 quad in 2026. Wood biomass consumption was at 0.072 quad in 2024 and is expected to remain at that level this year and next year.
The residential sector is expected to consume 0.072 quad of wood biomass in 2025 and 2026, unchanged from 2024.
Across all sectors, waste biomass consumption was at 0.379 quad in 2024 and is expected to fall to 0.377 quad in 2025 and 0.376 quad in 2026. Wood biomass consumption was at 1.855 quad last year and is expected to increase to 1.975 quad this year and 2.012 quad next year.
