Renewable energy accounted for 60.20% of the 7276MW of new generation capacity placed in service in the USA during the first nine months of 2015, according to the Sun Day campaign.
Sun Day cited the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (Ferc’s) Energy Infrastructure Update report, which, it said, noted 26 new units of wind power accounting for 2966MW of new generating capacity or 40.76% of all new capacity in the year-to-date.
Solar followed with 1137MW (142 units), biomass with 205MW (16 units), geothermal steam with 45MW (1 unit) and hydropower with 27MW (18 units).
There were also 34 units of natural gas contributing 2884MW, 9MW from six units of oil, 3MW from one new coal plant and no new nuclear.
Ferc said new capacity from renewable energy sources during the first three-quarters of 2015 is 1,460 times greater than that from coal while new capacity from wind alone exceeds that from natural gas.
For just the month of September, wind (448 MW) again dominated, with 54.83% of new capacity followed by natural gas (346 MW), and solar (20 MW).
It added that renewable energy sources now account for 17.40% of total installed operating generating capacity in the USA – hydro 8.59%, wind 5.91%, biomass 1.43%, solar 1.13% and geothermal steam 0.34%. This was up from 16.35% of capacity in September 2014 and 15.68% in September 2013.
Sun Day Campaign executive director Ken Bossong said: “With Congress and numerous states now questioning the ability of renewable energy sources to meet targets called for in the Administration’s new Clean Power Plan (CPP), the explosive growth of wind, solar, biomass, hydropower, and geothermal in recent years confirms that it can be done.
“In fact, the latest FERC data suggest that the CPP’s goals are unduly modest and renewables will handily surpass them.”
Image: wind accounted for more than 40% of new capacity in 2015 (Morgue File)
