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2020-01-27 14:45:00

U.S. RENEWABLES: 18%

U.S. RENEWABLES: 18%

Author Christopher Neely

ENERGYCENTRALRenewables lead in 2019 for new generation capacity, however, fossil fuels continue to generate more electricity

The main group of renewable energy generators—solar, wind, biomass, hydropower and geothermal—led in new generation capacity created in 2019.

According to a later 2019 report from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, renewable sources saw an 8,784 MW increase in new generating capacity through November 2019, which is 8% more than the combination of new capacity created for natural gas, oil, coal and nuclear.

This puts numbers to a trend of which we're widely aware: investments into new energy generation projects are being won by renewables. The future for renewable energy appears brighter than it does for oil, coal and natural gas. However, when it comes to actual energy generation, fossil fuels continue to lead in total energy generated in the United States. Renewables only accounted for 18.2% of total energy generated by November 2019, while coal alone produced 23.4% of the country's electricity.

Renewables being responsible for the lion's share of electricity generated in the United States still appears to be a long way out, but progress continues. The U.S. Energy Information Administration predicts renewables to account for 22% of total electricity generation by 2021.

Of course, that remains less than coal alone produced in 2019. With continued increases in generation capacity, and advancements in storage so we can use renewable electricity on cloudy, still days, renewables path toward electricity work horse may happen sooner than we all predict.

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This thought leadership article was originally shared with Energy Central's Clean Power Community Group. The communities are a place where professionals in the power industry can share, learn and connect in a collaborative environment. Join the Clean Power Community today and learn from others who work in the industry.

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Tags: USA, RENEWABLE, ENERGY