Discussion
Table 12 summarizes the estimated technical generation and capacity potential in the Unites
States for each renewable electricity technology examined in this report. As estimates of
technical, rather than economic or market, potential, these values do not consider:
• Allocation of available land among technologies (available land is generally
assumed to be available to support development of more than one technology
and each set of exclusions was applied independently)
• Availability of existing or planned transmission infrastructure that is
necessary to tie generation into the electricity grid
• The relative reliability or time-of-productions of power
• The cost associated with developing power at any location
• Presence of local, state, regional or national policies, either existing or
potential, that could encourage renewable development
• The location or magnitude of current and potential electricity loads.
While not a direct comparison, given the above considerations, one useful point of reference
for the generation potential estimate is annual electricity retail sales in the United States. In
2010, aggregate sales for all 50 states were roughly 3,754 TWh (see Appendix B).