Wind, solar dominate US new power capacity in 201511-Jan 2016
Nearly all new utility-scale capacity of 1 MW or greater that was added in the USA in 2015 was either wind or solar or a natural gas-fired unit, the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) said today. In terms of renewable power generation, hydroelectricity continues to make the largest contribution, accounting for 6% of the nation's total generation through October, despite lower-than-normal water and snowpack levels in several regions with significant hydro resources. Generation from wind and solar plants totaled 4% and 1%, respectively, through October. While numbers for November and December are not available yet, the month of December is expected to show significant increase in solar and wind capacities. Typically, the high number of reported additions in the last month of the year is related to the expiration of tax credits and the corresponding rush of activity at the end of the calendar year. EIA has recently introduced its Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory consolidates currently available information on electric generators into a single product. The data will be updated and published monthly as part of EIA's Electric Power Monthly. Copyright 2016 SeeNews. All rights reserved. |