Renewables Continue To Dominate New U.S. Generating Capacity

[ScienceRocks]

Renewables Continue To Dominate New U.S. Generating Capacity

SolarIndustryMag.com: Renewables Continue To Dominate New U.S. Generating Capacity

Renewable energy advocacy group the Sun Day Campaign reports that solar, wind, biomass, geothermal and hydropower provided 55.7% of newly installed U.S. electrical generating capacity during the first half of the year - 1,965 MW of the 3,529 MW total.

Citing U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission figures, the Sun Day Campaign says solar power has accounted for 32.1% of this new capacity with 1,131 MW. Wind provided 19.8% with 699 MW.

The single greatest source of added generating capacity was natural gas with 44.1%, representing 1,555 MW. No new coal or nuclear capacity came online in the first half of the year.

The Sun Day Campaign says renewable energy sources now account for 16.28% of all U.S. operating capacity, breaking down as follows:

Hydropower - 8.57%;
Wind - 5.26%;
Biomass - 1.37%;
Solar - 0.75%; and
Geothermal - 0.33%.

 

[ScienceRocks]

Solar more than doubled share of new capacity in US for first half of 2014
Solar more than doubled share of new capacity in US for first half of 2014 - PV-Tech

In the first six months of 2014, solar has represented almost a third of new electricity generation capacity additions in the US, more than doubling its performance in the same period of 2013, according to US government statistics.

According to the latest monthly Energy Infrastructure Update issued by the Federal Energy Regulation Commission (FERC), new energy generation installations in the US were dominated in June by natural gas and solar, with only about half as much wind added as solar.

According to the report for June, around 40MW of solar was installed in June, behind 63MW of natural gas generation capacity added but ahead of wind power, with 21MW. Eight times as much solar was added than biomass, at 5MW.

The 40MW of solar added was across 11 projects, including Warren County Solar, a 14MW PV plant, which along with another recently connected 3MW AC project marks an entry into solar for First Wind when it was connected on 23 June. Warren County Solar and the 3MW plant are also First Wind’s first renewable energy projects in its home state of Massachusetts.

According to the report, other notable solar projects connected in the month included an 8.2MW project in Somerset County, New Jersey from which the electricity generated will be sold to pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly. The plant will have an expected annual output of around 12,900,000kWh. Built by KDC Solar, Eli Lilly will use the electricity at its ImClone biopharmaceutical division, where the 17 hectare system is on-site.

Unsurprisingly given the leading position of natural gas, the largest generation facilities installed in any form of generation in the month were a 39.6MW natural gas plant built for Kansas Municipal Energy Agency and a 25MW expansion to a natural gas plant for Southern Minnesota Municipal Energy, built across four sites. In total, 146MW of capacity was added across all forms of generation, with no new nuclear or coal facilities.


Looking back on the first half of the year, solar remains the only close competitor to natural gas. Of a cumulative capacity of 3,529MW installed from January to June this year, 1,131MW came from solar, while 1,555MW of natural gas generation capacity was installed. Wind managed just over half of the latter figure, 699MW, while only 87MW of new biomass was added, the next highest new capacity addition in the report.

Compared to last year, solar appears to have taken some big strides. The figure for new generation capacity was similar last year for the period January to June 2013, when 1,194MW of new solar was installed. However, in the same timeframe last year, almost five times that amount of natural gas capacity, 4,498MW, was installed, while 1,543MW of coal generation was added. Wind also made a stronger showing then than this year, with 963MW installed in the six months. By proportion, from a total of 8,496MW installed in all forms of generation in January to June of 2013, solar represented about 14% of new generation capacity, while in January to June this year, solar made up 32% of newly added capacity.

A US governmnt report last week predicted that by 2040 solar would be second only to natural gas in its importance to the US energy mix.

Solar is kicking ass and will take over the next few decades. Wind is dead. Maybe offshore could save it but onshore = too many problems.

 

[Anathema]

As an electric utility worker that's nice until the Government starts shutting down the fossil fuel plants and everyone suddenly realizes how little of that solar generating capacity is actually on mainline feeders. Most of it is small stuff on people's roofs where it won't do much good to the public at large.

 

[RGR]

Renewables Continue To Dominate New U.S. Generating Capacity

So....another century or two and they'll be actually significant, ya think?

 

[Old Rocks]

RGR I really am surprised that you do not see the curve for the renewables mimicking the early exponential curves on the other energy sources.

 

[RGR]

RGR I really am surprised that you do not see the curve for the renewables mimicking the early exponential curves on the other energy sources.

Of...I absolutely do. But as with all exponential growth phases during a more likely logistic path (be it oil as Hubbert commented on, resources as Albert Bartlett and Limits To Growth used to scare people, or population)...alas....it is doomed to not continue.

But it is a GOOD thing that it is happening, certainly. The real question is, obviously, how soon does ever increasing growth stop? And will it be far below power generation from non-renewables, or can it at least equal them?

For those who don't understand the exponential growth phase of a logistic function:

Logistic function - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Mr. H.]

RGR I really am surprised that you do not see the curve for the renewables mimicking the early exponential curves on the other energy sources.

Renewables will never replace the myriad uses of hydrocarbons.

 

[RGR]

RGR I really am surprised that you do not see the curve for the renewables mimicking the early exponential curves on the other energy sources.

Renewables will never replace the myriad uses of hydrocarbons.

Probably not. But it will be interesting to watch them try.

 

[Mr. H.]

About 25 years ago, I and some colleagues went to an energy conference in our state's capitol. The whole gamut was covered. At the evening reception we were asked if we (oil) felt "threatened" by renewables, specifically biodiesel. We looked at each other and busted out laughing