Non-Hydro Renewables Pass Hydropower In United States

[unhappycamper]

http://cleantechnica.com/2014/05/26/non-hydro-renewables-pass-hydropower-united-states/

Non-Hydro Renewables Pass Hydropower In United States
Roy L Hales



The Sun Day Campaign has just released a press release proclaiming the fact non-hydro renewables outproduced hydropower for the first time in March 2014. Also, for the first time, wind contributed 5% of the nation’s electricity.



“For more than a decade, renewable energy sources – led by wind and solar – have been rapidly expanding their share of the nation’s electrical generation,” said Ken Bossong, Executive Director of the SUN DAY Campaign. “The most recent data affirm that the trend is continuing unabated.”

He pointed out that “Hydropower accounted for 6.13% of net U.S. electrical generation for the period, followed by wind (4.82%), biomass (1.46%), geothermal (0.39%), and solar (0.29%).”

~snip~



Coal is still king. The EIA predicts coal production will grow 4.4% to 1,028 million short tons (MMst) in 2014, driven by higher consumption. Most of this will be lost through the implementation of the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards and a number of coal plants are expected to retire by March 2015. Renewable energy is expected to make up the difference.

[FBaggins]

1. Hydro is having a tough year

Largely due to drought conditions on the West coast.

It's usually closer to 8% IIRC.

[GliderGuider]

2. That's a carefully selected benchmark

Designed to take our eyes off the fact that existentially undesirable forms of energy (FF and nuclear) still supply 87.5% of American energy.

Yes wind is growing. But it's still not overcoming.

[Benton D Struckcheon]

3. Actually it's a very good metric,

in that it shows that renewables are no longer almost totally dependent on hydro for its output. Hydro was three-quarters of all renewable output up to 2004, but has been steadily declining in importance since then, which is a good thing since otherwise the current drought would mean even more of an increase in usage of fossil fuels. Solar broke its monthly record from August of last year in March by more than a third, and mere physics tells you that net of any growth it will peak in June, so the next few months of reports it will be producing even more. Its total output this year will approximately equal wind's output from back in 2005. Nine years after 2005 wind is producing 5% of all power. Solar will get to 5% a lot faster at the rates it's growing. Geothermal and biomass are both continuing a slow but steady rise. All of this means much less reliance on hydro to displace fossil fuels, so that in drought years like this one we don't get a sudden spike in fossil fuel use just because of the weather.
It also means the share of power produced by renewables should grow more quickly now. This went from 9% in 2004 when hydro was three quarters of the pie, to 13% last year. Now that hydro is a smaller share, the ones that are growing should be able to take that share up faster.