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Renewable Energy Shows Strong Gain In U.S. (arstechnica.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the dwarfed-by-its-influence dept.

WheezyJoe writes: According to the US Energy Information Administration, solar, wind, and gas dominate new US generating capacity in 2016. This year is notable because it will see the first new nuclear plant brought online in 20 years, contributing 1.1 GigaWatts to the grid. But that contribution will be dwarfed by renewable power sources, which together account for nearly two-thirds of 2016's new capacity. Part of the boom in renewables came because the tax incentives for their installation were in danger of expiring, so utilities rushed to get projects through the pipeline ahead of the end of the year. 9.5GW of capacity is expected to come online from solar -- more than the past three years combined. Another 6.8GW is expected from planned additions of wind power, largely spread across the Great Plains. Of new fossil fuel plants, the vast majority are going to be burning natural gas; there are no planned additions of coal plants.

3 of 285 comments (clear)

  1. We could do better, much better by Taco+Cowboy · · Score: 5, Informative

    TFA tells us that in 2016, 18.1GW (9.5GW of solar and 8.6GW of wind) renewable energy is expected to come online in America

    Very good

    On the other hand ...

    http://www.bloomberg.com/news/...

    According to bloomberg's article

    ... China to add more than 20 gigawatts of wind power in 2016

    China eyes at least 15 gigawatts of solar power additions ...

    ... in the same year, China gonna have at least35GW of new renewable energy coming online

    We could do better

    In fact, we should do better

    --
    Muchas Gracias, Señor Edward Snowden !
  2. Not really dwarfed by Solandri · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This year is notable because it will see the first new nuclear plant brought online in 20 years, contributing 1.1 GigaWatts to the grid. But that contribution will be dwarfed by renewable power sources

    Not really dwarfed.

    1.1 GW * 0.903 capacity factor = 0.99 GW actual production by nuclear
    9.5 GW * 0.145 capacity factor = 1.38 GW actual production by solar
    6.8 GW * 0.25 capacity factor = 1.7 GW actual production by wind

    I mean we get it, renewables = good. But comparing based on installed capacity is like comparing farmland based solely on land area, not how much of that land is actually arable.

  3. Re:Geo Political Interference by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The Koch Brothers will never permit renewables to overtake oil.

    Turn on the TV and watch the news. The Kochs exercise their influence through the Republican Party establishment, which is in the process of being shredded by Donald Trump. The Republicans have thrived by building a coalition of social conservatives, who tend to be less educated middle class people, and economic conservatives that mostly do not share their interests, but control the political establishment. That coalition is collapsing. Trump doesn't give a crap about the establishment. In the general election, where he is almost certainly headed, he is going to hit Hillary from the right with social populism, and from the left with economic populism. As one pundit put it, Hillary's political machine is like a super-tanker ... that is about to be boarded by Somali pirates.

    Donald may lose in November, but the Republican Party is going to be changed forever. Trump has shown that he can win without the party establishment, and that rank-and-file Republicans will vote for somebody that speaks their language and channels their anger, rather than someone that shares their ideology. Even this year, this change will have a big effect down-ballot, in house and senate races. The influence of people like the Koch brothers is fading. Their money certainly didn't do much to help Jeb Bush.