Would anyone still like to claim renewable energy can’t power our world? It may take a while, but America is getting more and more of its energy from renewables, according to data from the United States Energy Information Administration (EIA). In March 2017, the country generated 10 percent of total electricity from solar power and wind power.

This week the EIA reported more than 10 percent of the country’s total electricity generation came from wind and solar. In 2016, those two renewable sources made up seven percent of America’s electricity generation. Increased generating capacity enabled the U.S. to get more clean power. The figures include utility plants and small-scale systems.

The EIA noted seasons impact how much clean energy will be generated from renewables. Wind electricity generation usually reaches its height in the spring in places like Texas and Oklahoma, but in California it usually peaks in the summer. Solar output is unsurprisingly best in the summer due to longer daylight hours.

The EIA predicted the country would again generate over 10 percent of power from renewables again in April based on weather patterns from other years, but the numbers would dwindle to under 10 percent during the summer. Solar and wind combined tend to generate more power during either the spring or the fall, the administration said.

Data from 2016 shows wind generated more power than solar in nearly all of the states, according to the EIA. Looking at the top 12 states, only California and Arizona obtained more power from solar than wind. The prize for most wind energy generated goes to Texas. And energy received from renewable sources was highest in Iowa, which generated 37 percent of power from renewables. Six other states got around 20 percent of power from wind and solar.

Article from inhabitat.com

by Lacy Cooke