New electrical generating capacity in 2013
By Thomas Schueneman, Globalwarmingisreal.com
Energy sources including biomass, geothermal, hydropower, solar
and wind provided 5,279 megawatts (MW) of new installed electrical capacity in
2013, contrasting with coal, which ramped up only 1,543 MW, or just under 11
percent of total new generation. Oil produced 38 MW of new capacity or
just 0.27 percent. Nuclear had no new capacity come online in
2013. Renewable sources of energy coming online in 2013 were three times
that of coal, oil and nuclear combined.
Not surprisingly, natural gas provided most new electrical capacity, putting online 7,270 MW in 2013, or a bit more than 51 percent. The balance of new electrical capacity came from waste heat, providing 76 MW or 0.53 percent.
Solar leads renewables
Solar power led the pack among renewables, bringing online 266
new generating “units” for 2,936 MW of capacity. Wind followed with 1,129
MW of new generating capacity from 18 units. Behind solar and wind came 97 new
biomass units generating 77 MW, hydro with 378 MW from 19 unites and geothermal
with 4 new units producing 59 MW of new electrical generation.
New solar capacity last year grew 42.80 percent over the same
period in 2012. In the two-year period from January 1, 2012 to December 31,
2013 renewable sources of energy provided 47.38 percent of new of
electrical generating capacity, for a total of 20,809 MW placed into service.
Renewable energy totals for U.S. electrical
generation
As a whole, renewable energy sources account for 15.97 percent
of total generating capacity* in the United States. Here’s the breakdown:
- Hydro: 8.44 percent
- Wind: 5.2 percent
- Biomass: 1.36 percent
- Solar: 0.64 percent
- Geothermal: 0.33 percent
The total from renewable sources is now greater the nuclear and
oil combined.
Renewable energy continues to expand in the US, providing more clean energy
and jobs – a win-win for the environment and the economy
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* Generating capacity is not the same as actual generation.
Actual net electrical generation from renewable energy sources in the United
States now totals about 13 percent according to the most recent data (i.e., as
of November 2013) provided by the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Thanks to the SUN DAY Campaign: a non-profit research and educational
organization founded in 1993 to promote sustainable energy technologies as
cost-effective alternatives to nuclear power and fossil fuels.