U.S. Reports a Major Milestone in Wind and Solar Power
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Source: Scientific American
Ten percent of all of the electricity generated in the U.S. in March came from wind and solar power, marking the first such milestone in U.S. history, according to a new U.S. Energy Information Administration report.
The EIA estimates that wind and solar farms likely generated 10 percent of Americas electricity in April as well, which would be another first, according to the report.
This years milestone shows that renewables are becoming a major source of electricity in the U.S. and can no longer be considered alternative energy, said Christopher Clack, CEO of the power grid modeling firm Vibrant Clean Energy and a former National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration researcher.
The reports findings represent a marked increased from March 2016, when wind and solar generated 8.6 percent of total U.S. electricity. Overall, about 7 percent of U.S. electricity comes from wind and solar annually, up from less than 1 percent a decade ago. Texas is the countrys biggest wind power producer and California is the largest solar producer.
Read more: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/u-s-reports-a-major-milestone-in-wind-and-solar-power/
Looks like our electricity production is getting greener in a measurable way.
I'm expecting the trend to continue regardless of what this administration does.
burfman......
Achilleaze
(15,543 posts)nolabels
(13,133 posts)All we have to do is jump on and turn it and mostly those dead dinosaurs will again be buried
csziggy
(34,139 posts)But then we got Ronald Reagan and Carter's plan to make the US energy independent went down the tubes. Oh well - here is a complement to your video:
edhopper
(33,651 posts)Rick Perry will disassemble the clean energy industry in this country.
We will be polluting for the foreseeable future.
FLPanhandle
(7,107 posts)It's gotten to the point where alternative energy is competitive with older sources of energy. We are at a tipping point and no matter what Trump does, the US is moving to green sources of energy.
zipplewrath
(16,646 posts)I've heard more than one industry executive state that the US won't build any more coal fired electric plants because the economics just aren't there. I've also heard that wind mills are becoming popular in some parts of "middle america" because you can turn 2 acres into as much profit as 10 acres of any crop. A rather conservative neighbor installed solar panels and hasn't paid an electric bill in 9 months. I can see the day when house construction will include solar panels as part of the standard build, a bit like air conditioning. It's changing, and not because of any government agency or politician. They can help or hinder, but they can't stop it.
sinkingfeeling
(51,487 posts)winstars
(4,220 posts)Bengus81
(6,936 posts)from wind,solar and a nuke plant by the end of 2017. It wasn't that many years ago there wasn't a wind generator to be found in this entire State let alone a commercial solar panel.
To bad coal......
Grins
(7,257 posts)Texas? Rick Perry, Ted Cruz's Texas?
muriel_volestrangler
(101,403 posts)"By Bobby Magill, Climate Central on June 16, 2017"
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