wind generation

Record Renewable Use In California | Earth Wise

May 19, 2022 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

California, the most populous state, is the second largest electricity user. Only Texas, the second most populous state, uses more energy, in part because it consumes large amounts in refining fossil fuels. Overall, California uses about 8% of the electricity generated in the U.S.

Thus, it was a significant milestone when briefly, on April 3, a record 97.6% of the energy on California’s statewide grid came from renewable energy resources. (The previous record of 96.4% was set just a few days earlier).

Renewable energy’s share of the power typically peaks in the spring when mild temperatures keep demand relatively low and higher sun angles drive greater solar energy production.

On April 8, a record peak solar power production was set at 13,628 megawatts just after noon. On March 4, the state set an all-time wind generation record of 6,265 megawatts.

California now has over 15,000 MW of grid-connected solar power and 8,000 MW of wind. Another 600 MW of solar and 200 MW of wind are coming online by June. The state also has about 2,700 MW of energy storage online and that will climb to 4,000 MW by June.

In 2020, 34.5% of the state’s retail electricity sales came from wind and solar sources. Adding in hydropower and nuclear power, nearly 60% of the state’s electricity came from non-fossil fuel. Despite the effects of drought on hydropower generation and the impact of the pandemic on the pace of renewable energy projects, California continues its dramatic transition to sustainable energy.

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Solar and wind notched records as renewables met California’s energy demand

Photo, posted September 20, 2016, courtesy of Tom Brewster Photography / BLM via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

A Solar Power Boom In Texas | Earth Wise

May 31, 2021 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Texas has been a leader in wind energy for a number of years. In 2020, wind made up 23% of the state’s generating capacity and provided 20% of in-state generation. But although wind capacity in Texas has grown rapidly in recent years, solar power is expected to make up the largest share of the state’s capacity additions over the next two years.

Texas plans to add 4.6 gigawatts of utility-scale solar power this year and 5.4 gigawatts in 2022. This will give the state a total capacity of 15 gigawatts, which will nearly catch up to California, the state with the most large-scale solar power. California already has 16 gigawatts of installed solar capacity and plans to add about two more over the next two years.

The planned capacity for Texas will provide enough power for roughly 5 million homes, taking into account the intermittency of solar energy. Much of the new solar capacity will be in the Permian Basin in West Texas, which is a particularly sunny place. Because solar generation is greatest in the middle of the day, when wind generation is typically lower, the transmission line infrastructure already in place for the wind power will be adequate for the new solar installations.

The boom in solar power in Texas is driven in part by the federal solar Investment Tax Credit that is available to project developers as well as by the ever-lower cost of solar technology.

One-third of the utility-scale solar capacity planned to come online in the U.S. in the next two years will be in Texas. Currently, utility-scale solar only makes up 4% of electrical generating capacity in Texas, but that is clearly changing.

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Texas likely to add 10 GW of utility-scale solar capacity in the next two years

Photo, posted May 14, 2020, courtesy of Courtney Celley/USFWS via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

New Records For U.S. Wind Power | Earth Wise

March 22, 2021 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Wind-powered electricity has been increasing its contribution to the American energy mix for years as the number of installed turbines has rapidly grown. In the final months of 2020, wind power set a number of new records. Strong wind conditions in November and December, especially in the central states, led to record output from wind turbines.

On April 10, 2019, the U.S. set a record for daily electricity generation from wind turbines in the lower 48 states by producing 1.42 million megawatthours. That record stood until several different days during November and December. The newest record was set on December 23 when wind generation reached 1.76 million MWh. That constituted 17% of total electricity generation in the U.S. For the entire year of 2020, wind power accounted for 9% of U.S. electricity generation.

Late 2020 also saw new records set for hourly dispatch of wind resources. On December 22, between 9 and 10 pm Eastern Time, 82 gigawatts of electricity sourced from wind power was dispatched across the U.S., breaking the one-month-old previous record of 73.4 GW. Wind power varies considerably over the course of a day. During December, wind power across the country varied between that record of 82 GW to a low of 14.6 GW.

The contributions from wind power are expected to continue to grow. The U.S. currently has over 112 GW of installed wind capacity. Project developers and grid operators plan to add another 12.2 GW of new wind capacity to the U.S. grid by the end of 2021. More than half of that new capacity will be in Texas and Oklahoma.

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U.S. wind generation sets new daily and hourly records at end of 2020

Photo, posted July 12, 2010, courtesy of Tom Shockey via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Wind Power Overtakes Hydroelectric Power | Earth Wise

April 10, 2020 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

In 2019, the amount of electricity generated by wind power surpassed hydroelectric power for the first time, making wind the largest renewable source of electricity generation in the country.

Total wind generation in 2019 was 300 million MWh, which was 26 million MWh more than was produced by hydroelectric plants.

Hydroelectric generation has fluctuated between 250 and 320 million MWh over the past decade. The capacity base has been stable, so the fluctuations were a result of variable annual precipitation. Hydroelectric generation is generally greatest in the spring when rain and melting snow pack increase water runoff.

The growth in wind power is primarily a result of increasing capacity rather than any major fluctuations in wind caused by changing weather. The U.S. added about 10 GW of wind capacity in 2019, making it the second largest year for capacity additions ever, second only to 2012.

Wind energy is an intermittent source, meaning that it isn’t windy all the time. The average annual capacity factor for the U.S. wind fleet over the past decade has been 28 to 35%, meaning that is the amount of energy actually produced compared with the systems running at continuous full power all the time. By comparison, the U.S. hydroelectric fleet operated at 35 to 43% of capacity during that period. So, wind power is actually not that much less a steady source than hydroelectric power.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the government’s production tax credit, which was extended through this year, means that wind power capacity in the U.S. will continue to grow at a robust pace. Meanwhile, some dams are being decommissioned and there is little new construction in the hydropower sector.

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Wind has overtaken the top position for renewable generation in the U.S., EIA says

Photo courtesy of Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.