Massive Potential for Additional Solar, Geothermal, and Onshore Wind Power Growth on Federal Lands to Boost American Energy Production

WASHINGTON, D.C. --  The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), in coordination with the U.S. Departments of the Interior, Agriculture, and Defense, today released a study showing that there is significant potential for further expanding renewable energy production on federal lands. The most comprehensive study of its kind finds that onshore federal lands in the contiguous United States could technically support over 7,700 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy capacity. Researchers found that, in central scenarios that prioritize for meeting America's growing energy demand while balancing other needs such as natural resource protection, between 51 to 84 GW of renewable energy could be deployed on federal lands by 2035, requiring only around half of one percent of total federal land area in the contiguous U.S. That level of deployment by 2035, which could entail authorizing such projects by around 2030, is enough to provide up to about 10% of the reliable, renewable energy needed to reach net-zero emissions in the electricity sector. The Department of the Interior has already permitted more than 30 GW of clean energy projects on federal lands, surpassing its Congressionally authorized 25 GW goal well ahead of the 2025 target date -- enough clean energy to power more than 15 million homes across the country.

With domestic energy demand expected to rise, including to support new homes and growing American industries such as advanced manufacturing and data centers, this new analysis shows major opportunities to build on recent progress in deploying renewable energy resources on federal land to provide a significant source of additional energy capacity in the years ahead.

"DOE is a data-driven agency and the data shows that the nation's growing energy demand can be met with cleaner, cheaper, more resilient power," said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. "Today's report underscores how the federal government can be a leader in building out American-made clean energy on federal lands, ensuring a secure and sustainable domestic energy supply."

"We are pleased to be a partner in this analysis and contribute to growing a sustainable clean energy economy while protecting the natural and cultural resources on our public lands," said Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management Principal Deputy Director Nada Wolff Culver. "By working together, we can ensure the responsible development of clean energy across our lands that will help create good paying jobs, lower energy costs for consumers, and support our goal of 100% clean electricity by 2035."

To understand future renewable energy deployment on federal lands, researchers created seven scenarios with a wide range of possibilities. For each scenario, they used a power sector model to determine the most cost-effective way to deploy new generation, storage, and transmission across the country to meet future energy demand. Those results were then used to produce renewable energy deployment estimates on federal lands.

To ensure realistic assumptions in their model, NREL researchers sought expertise from federal agencies and land administrators in DOE, the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Forest Service, and the U.S. Department of Defense -- each of which have varying priorities for managing their lands to achieve agency missions. NREL's modeling aligns with recent federal progress on supporting efficient and environmentally responsible renewable energy planning and permitting, including the Bureau of Land Management's updated Western Solar Plan.

Key findings of the study include:

Federal lands serve many public needs, and any decision about their use involves trade-offs. Collaboration is crucial to support agencies in navigating competing interests while integrating renewable energy development responsibly. Future analysis can assess the viability of specific areas or sites and should be updated as land administrators' priorities evolve.