Defying all projections, wind, solar, and other renewable energy sources set a series of records for domestic electrical generation during the first quarter of 2016.

 

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration's (EIA) latest, just-released "Electric Power Monthly" report (with data for the first three months of 2016), net U.S. electrical generation from non-hydro renewables (i.e., biomass, geothermal, solar, wind) increased by 22.9% compared to the first quarter of 2015. Output from conventional hydropower also rose by 6.5%. Combined, generation from all renewable sources increased by 14.60% in January-March 2016 compared to the same period in 2015.

 

Further, utility-scale electrical generation from renewable sources hit an all-time high of nearly 17% (16.89%) of total generation. During the first quarter of 2015, renewable energy's share of net generation  was only 14.00%.

 

Electrical generation by wind rose 32.8% and set a new record of 6.23% of total generation. In the first quarter of 2015, wind power's share was only 4.46%.

 

Similarly, electrical generation from utility-scale solar thermal and photovoltaics grew by 31.4% to 6,690 thousand megawatt-hours and comprised 0.69% of total electrical output. However, EIA also estimates that distributed solar photovoltaics (e.g., rooftop solar systems) expanded by 35.2% and accounted for an additional 3,146 thousand megawatt-hours. Combined, utility-scale and distributed solar accounted for over one percent (1.01%) of generation. A year ago, solar's share was only 0.72%.

 

Among renewable energy sources, only biomass and geothermal experienced declines of 1.4% and 1.6% respectively.

 

In stark contrast to the stunning growth rate of renewable sources, nuclear power remained essentially stagnant - registering growth of only 1.0%; electrical generation fueled by natural gas was up by 6.7% while that from coal plummeted by 24.2%.

 

"Inasmuch as electrical output from wind and hydropower sources tend to be highest in the first quarter of each year, renewable energy's share of net electrical generation for the balance of 2016 may dip a little," noted Ken Bossong, Executive Director of the SUN DAY Campaign. "Nonetheless, data for the first quarter appears to be swamping EIA's earlier forecast of just 9.5% growth by renewables in 2016."

 

The latest issue of EIA's "Electric Power Monthly" was released on May 25, 2016.  It can be found at:  http://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly. See Table ES1.B for the data cited in this release. EIA's recent projection of only 9.5% growth in renewables in 2016 can be found in the January 2016 issue of its "Short-Term Energy Otlook" at:  http://www.eia.gov/forecasts/steo/archives/jan16.pdf; see page 13.

 

The SUN DAY Campaign