New figures just released show that in the United States in November all the new electricity generating capacity came from renewable energy sources.
According to the latest Energy Infrastructure Update report from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s Office of Energy Projects, solar, biomass, wind, geothermal, and hydropower “units” provided 394 megawatts (MW), or 100 per cent, of all new electrical generation placed in-service in November.
There was no new capacity during the month from natural gas, coal, oil, or nuclear power.
Renewable energy sources also provided 99 per cent of all new electrical generating capacity in October.
For the first eleven months of 2013, renewable energy sources, biomass, geothermal, hydropower, solar, wind, accounted for 34.9 per cent of all new electrical generating capacity.
That was made up of: 2631MW solar, 1108MW wind, 519MW biomass, 121MW hydropower, and 39MW geothermal.
That is more than that provided so far this year by coal at 1543MW or 12.2 per cent, oil at 36MW or 0.3 per cent, and nuclear power, which came in at zero, combined.
Solar alone comprised 20.8 per cent of new generating capacity at 2631MW so far this year, two-thirds more than its year-to-date total in 2012 at 1584MW.
However, natural gas has dominated 2013 thus far with 6568MW of new capacity or 52.0 per cent.
Renewable sources now account for 15.9 per cent of total installed US operating generating capacity.
This is more than nuclear (9.20 per cent) and oil (4.05 per cent) combined.
Ironically, and in seeming contradiction to the growth rates reflected in the new FERC data, the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) released the preliminary data for its forthcoming Annual Energy Outlook 2014 and projected that renewable sources would provide only a paltry 16 per cent of the nation’s electricity supply by 2040.
EIA’s own data reveals that renewable energy was already providing 14.2 per cent of the nation’s electrical generation as of June 30.
“FERC’s latest renewable energy capacity data, coupled with the actual electrical generation from renewable sources, reveal a growing disconnect with the longer-term projections being issued by EIA,” said Ken Bossong, Executive Director of the SUN DAY Campaign.
“With virtually all new electrical generation coming from renewables during the last two months, it is obvious that solar, wind, biomass, geothermal, and hydropower are rapidly outpacing EIA’s unduly cons
