For the first two months of this year, renewable energy sources accounted for 91.9% of the 568 MW of new installed U.S. electrical generating capacity, according to a report from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Coal, oil and nuclear provided none, while natural gas and 1 MW of ‘other’ resources provided the balance.
In February, wind and solar made up 80.9% of new domestic capacity, with five new ‘units’ of wind providing 99 MW and 12 units of solar providing 92 MW. In addition, one new unit of natural gas provided 45 MW.
Citing the FERC statistics, the SUN DAY Campaign, a renewable energy advocacy group, notes renewable energy sources, including hydropower, now account for 16.14% of total installed U.S. operating generating capacity: hydro – 8.45%, wind – 5.26%, biomass – 1.37%, solar – 0.73%, and geothermal steam – 0.33%. This is more than nuclear (9.26%) and oil (4.05%) combined.
