Renewables outpace 'traditional' energy in new capacity

WASHINGTON, May 5, 2016 - During the first three months of 2016, renewable sources such as wind, solar, biomass and hydropower outpaced natural gas, coal and other traditional sources for new electrical generating capacity placed into service, according to the recent Energy Infrastructure Update from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's Office of Energy Projects. The report states that nine new units of wind power provided 707 megawatts (MW), followed by 44 units of solar (522 MW), 9 units of biomass (33 MW), and one unit of hydropower (29 MW).

There was no new capacity reported for the quarter from coal, oil, nuclear power or geothermal steam. Wind, biomass, and solar accounted for 100 percent of new generating capacity reported by FERC for the month of March. 

Compared to FERC’s December 2010 report, where renewables accounted for 13.71 percent of total available installed generating capacity in the U.S., renewable energy sources now account for 18.11 percent.  

•          Water: 8.58 percent
•          Wind: 6.39 percent
•          Biomass: 1.43 percent
•          Solar: 1.38 percent
•          Geothermal steam: 0.33 percent