For the first five months of 2014, renewable energy sources accounted for 54% of the new electrical generating capabilities installed in the United States. Just about all the other new installations were natural gas plants. Although coal-fired plants are still the largest source of electricity in the country, no new coal plants have come on line this year.
In May, a whopping 88% of new generating capacity came from renewables including wind, solar, biomass and hydropower. The recent boom in solar energy has seen new solar installations surpass the totals for wind, which is a real change from the past.
This tremendous growth in renewable energy has been going on for several years. Over the past 30 months, renewable energy sources have accounted for nearly half of all new installed US electrical generating capacity. As a result, renewables now contribute 16% of the country’s generating capacity. It is true that some renewables – notably wind and solar – cannot generate power all the time. But despite this shortcoming, renewable sources still contribute over 13% of the actual power generated in the United States.
There is a long way to go in the changeover to green power. Many countries around the world have established goals to produce 100% of their electricity from renewables. A number of them are making good progress towards those goals. The United States has gotten a relatively slow start, but recent progress is encouraging. The renewables boom appears to be accelerating and our grid is getting greener all the time.
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Renewables Provide 88 Percent of New US Electrical Generating Capacity in May 2014
Photo, posted June 28, 2008, courtesy of Patrick Finnegan via Flickr.
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Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.