Renewable Energy Provides Half of All New US Electrical Generating Capacity in 2012

[eridani]

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2013/01/renewable-energy-provides-half-of-all-new-us-electrical-generating-capacity-in-2012

According to the latest "Energy Infrastructure Update" report from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's Office of Energy Projects, renewable energy sources (i.e., biomass, geothermal, solar, water, wind) accounted for 49.10% of all new domestic electrical generating capacity installed in the twelve months of 2012 for a total of 12,956 MW. More than a quarter of that new capacity (25.29% - 3,276 MW) came online in the month of December 2012 alone.

Wind led the way in 2012 with 164 new "units" totaling 10,689 MW followed by solar with 240units totaling 1,476 MW. Biomass added 100 new units totaling 543 MW while geothermal steam and water each had 13 new units with installed capacities of 149 MW and 99 MW respectively.

By comparison, for the full 12 months of 2012, new natural gas generation in service totaled 8,746 MW (33.15%) followed by coal (4,510 MW - 17.09%), nuclear (125 MW - 0.47%), and oil (49 MW - 0.19%).

New capacity from renewable energy sources in 2012 increased by 51.16% compared to 2011 when those sources added 8,571 MW. In 2011, renewables accounted for 39.33% of all new in-service generation capacity.

Renewable sources now account for 15.40% of total installed U.S. operating generating capacity: water 8.47%, wind 4.97%, biomass 1.30%, solar 0.34%, and geothermal 0.32%. This is more than nuclear (9.24%) and oil (3.57%) combined. Note that generating capacity is not the same as actual generation -- actual net electrical generation from renewable energy sources in the U.S. now totals about 13% according to data provided by the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

[MrYikes]

1. well now,

my BS meter was going full tilt, until I forced myself to re-read the headline and see the word NEW. Then it made sense. I anxiously await the day we can eliminate the word new from that headline.

[littlemissmartypants]

2. Ditto. eom

[gtar100]

3. Wait a minute, some teabagger told me alternative energy sources just weren't a viable option.

How can this be?

[namaste2]

4. Thank you for this posting! Imagine

the world where the US is leading the world toward a clean, renewable energy future and we might be able to solve more pressing problems than fighting about not being able to afford health care, or to pay people a living wage.

If energy (read oil/etc.) were taken out of the political equation, no more wars and so much less tension.

[NickB79]

5. For comparison, the US had 1130 GW of generating capacity last year

Or 1,130,000 MW.

Renewables added 6,000 MW to that number.

[NoOneMan]

6. We are tackling this like we are tackling our debt problems