Renewable energy sources (biomass, geothermal, hydropower, solar, wind) has accounted for nearly 20 percent of net domestic electrical generation during the first half of 2018; surpassing that provided by nuclear power, according to a SUN DAY Campaign analysis of data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Each accounted for almost one-fifth of the nation’s electrical generation, renewables (including distributed solar) – 19.867 percent, nuclear power – 19.863 percent.
In addition, the latest issue of “Electric Power Monthly” from EIA (with data through June 30, 2018) reveals that solar and wind both showed strong growth with solar (utility-scale + distributed PV) expanding by 27.6 percent and wind by 11.2 percent compared to the first half of 2017. Combined, they accounted for nearly a tenth (9.9 percent: wind-7.5 percent, solar-2.4 percent) of the nation’s electrical generation.
Electricity generated by solar alone is now surpassing that supplied by biomass (1.6 percent) and geothermal (0.4 percent) combined. Moreover, the net electrical generation by solar during the first half of 2018 more than tripled that of utility-scale oil-fired facilities (those using petroleum liquids + petroleum coke).
Small increases were also reported by EIA for geothermal and biomass, 1 percent and 0.8 percent respectively. Combined, non-hydro renewables grew by 12.2 percent. However, a 7.1 percent drop in hydropower output netted an increase of 3.6 percent for all renewables in the first half of 2018 compared to the same period in 2017.
That gain, though, continued to close the gap between renewables and coal with the latter dropping by 5.6 percent; renewables now provide nearly three-quarters (74.3 percent) as much electricity as does coal. In fact, electrical generation by all fossil fuels (coal, gas, oil) combined was just 60 percent for the first half of 2018 while barely five years earlier, utility-scale fossil fuels accounted for nearly 70 percent (68.6 percent at the end of 2012). The change is mostly attributable to the growth in domestic electrical production by renewable energy sources.