America is fast moving toward more natural gas and renewable energy electricity and less coal, as the most recent electricity generation scoreboard shows.
So far the leaders in 2012 are gas, wind, solar, and biomass, while hydro, petroleum, and coal struggle, according to EIA data for January and February 2012. www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly/pdf/epm.pdf.
Compared to the same months in 2011, natural gas generation is up 30.1%; wind 29.6%; solar 70%, and biomass up 4%. Gas and non-hydro renewables are growing rapidly.
Hydro saw a 12% drop so far in 2012, as river flows are lower now than during a wet first half of 2011. Oil generation fell another 32.0% but provides very little total electricity. Coal declined 21.5%. And nuclear was down a bit--0.9%.
All that added up to a decrease in national electricity consumption of 3.9%, during this January and February, compared to the same months in 2011.
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