Wind, Solar, and Biomass Provide Electrical Generation
For Immediate Release: Tuesday,
February 19, 2013
Contact:
Ken Bossong, 301-270-6477 x.11
Washington DC
–
According to the latest "Energy Infrastructure Update" report from the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's Office of Energy Projects, 1,231
MW of new in-service electrical generating capacity came on line in the
United States in January 2013 -- all from wind, solar, and biomass
sources.
This represents a nearly three-fold increase in new renewable energy
generating capacity compared to that reported for the same month in 2012
when wind, solar, and biomass provided 431 MW of new capacity.
In January 2013, wind accounted for the largest share of the new
capacity with six new "units" providing 958 MW followed by 16 units of
solar (267 MW), and 6 units of biomass (6 MW). No new generating
capacity was reported for any fossil fuel (i.e., natural gas, coal, oil)
or nuclear power sources.
Renewable sources now account for 15.66% of total installed U.S.
operating generating capacity:
water - 8.50%, wind - 5.17%, biomass - 1.29%, solar - 0.38%, and
geothermal - 0.32%. *
By comparison, oil accounts for 3.54% of total operating generating
capacity, nuclear for 9.23%, coal for 29.04%, and natural gas for
42.37%.
“Once again, renewable energy sources have dominated the new electrical generation market,” said Ken Bossong, Executive Director of the SUN DAY Campaign. “And once again, their rapid expansion demonstrates that the U.S. can meet its future energy needs without resorting to dirtier sources such as nuclear power or the Keystone XL pipeline”
# # # # # # # #
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission released its most recent
"Energy Infrastructure Update" on February 19, 2013 with data through
January 31, 2013; see
http://www.ferc.gov/legal/staff-reports/2013/jan-energy-infrastructure.pdf.
The data cited above can be found on pages 3-4 of the report.
* Note: 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% according to data provided by the U.S.
Energy Information Administration.
=======================
The SUN DAY
Campaign is 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.
SUN DAY
CAMPAIGN
6930
Carroll Avenue, Suite #340; Takoma Park, MD 20912
301-270-6477 x.11
sun-day-campaign@hotmail.com
|