Top 10 Renewable
Energy Producing States
 |
| Most of Rhode Islan's renewal energy comes from landfill gas |
World leaders convened in Paris last week to agree on a successor to the Kyoto Protocol. The goal is to keep global temperature rise to 2 degrees Celsius, at maximum, with many stakeholders calling for an even stronger goal of 1.5 degrees. One way to achieve that goal is through the mass deployment of renewable energy.
A
recent report by the International Renewable Energy
Agency (IRENA) found that achieving a 36 percent share of renewable energy by
2030 would provide half of the greenhouse gas emissions reductions needed to
stay within the 2-degrees threshold.
The
U.S. has a chance to be a leader in renewable energy deployment given its sheer
size and resources. And some states are leading the way. Olivet Nazarene
University’s engineering department ranked the top 10 green states in terms of
renewable energy.
How
does your state stack up? Did it make the list?
Read on to find out.
Read on to find out.
1.
Maine
The state makes the
top spot because it is able to produce more wind energy than all of New England
combined. The state has over 200 turbines that are constructed and under
contract, with a total investment in Maine-based projects of over $1 billion.
In 2013, Maine’s wind turbines generated 431 megawatts (MW) of capacity, enough
to power about 61,000 homes for a year.
Maine wind farms will
reduce carbon emissions by 2.5 million tons in 2020, equal to removing
pollution from 400,000 cars. That same year, the state’s wind power output is
expected to reach 1,700 MW of capacity, enough to power 276,000 homes for a
year.
2.
Rhode Island
The growing solar sector
in Rhode Island helps put it in the
second spot. In 2013, its solar sector increased by 62 percent. The state is
the second-lowest emitter of carbon among all states, and doesn’t have any
coal-fired electricity generation.
Although
less than 4 percent of Rhode Island’s net electricity generation comes from
renewable energy, most of it from landfill
gas, it is really growing. The state has a renewable energy standard (RES)
requiring electricity providers to get 16 percent of power sold in the state
from renewable sources by 2019.
3.
Idaho
The
northwestern state’s main renewable energy source is hydropower, but it has sufficient
geothermal sources for electricity production. In 2014, a whopping 82 percent
of Idaho’s net electricity generation came from renewable energy sources, and
it has the fifth lowest average electricity prices in the U.S. Hydropower
supplied 60 percent of net electricity generation in 2014, making Idaho the
second largest hydropower user, after Washington state.
4.
Delaware
Although
in 2014 Delaware generated 82 percent of its electricity from natural gas and
11 percent from coal, it has a renewable portfolio
standard requiring
electricity suppliers to generate 25 percent of electricity from renewable
energy sources by 2026.
5.
Hawaii
Hawaii’s main source of
renewable energy is biomass, followed by solar and wind. However,
it has geothermal capacity. It is one of seven states with installed geothermal
capacity, and in 2014, 19 percent of its renewable net electricity generation
came from geothermal energy.
Its utility-scale
electricity generation from solar energy more than doubled in 2014. It is also
the first state to set a goal of producing 100 percent of its electricity from
renewable energy sources, a goal it plans to reach by 2045.
6.
Oregon
In 2014, 73 percent of the
state’s generated electricity was
from hydroelectric plants and other renewable sources. Its geothermal
potential is ranked third in the U.S. after Nevada and California.
7.
Nevada
Although 90 percent of the
state’s energy is imported, it is ranked second in the U.S. forgeothermal energy potential. It was ranked second
in the U.S. in utility-scale net electricity generation from geothermal energy
and third in utility-scale net generation from solar energy in 2014.
8.
South Dakota
The state has vast wind
power potential as 88 percent of its land area is suitable for the development
of wind power. South Dakota had more net
electricity generation from hydroelectric power than any other source in 2013.
9.
Washington
The northwestern state is
the nation’s hydroelectric leader, producing 30 percent of
America’s hydropower. It is home to the Grand Coulee Dam on the Columbia River,
the largest single producer of hydroelectric power in the country. In
2014, Washington ranked 10th in the U.S. in net generation of electricity from
wind energy.
10.
Iowa
In 2013, 27 percent of the
state’s energy came from wind power, and it was ranked third in the
production of non-hydroelectric renewable energy. Wind in 2013 was second to
coal as a source for electricity generation. Iowa is second, after Texas, in
electricity generation from wind turbines.
Gina-Marie is a freelance writer and
journalist armed with a degree in journalism, and a passion for social justice,
including the environment and sustainability. She writes for various websites,
and has made the 75+ Environmentalists to Follow list by Mashable.com. FOLLOW GINA-MARIE CHEESEMAN @GMCHEESEMAN