Thursday, June 7, 2012

March Electric Generation Scoreboard: Gas Soars 40%; Solar 92%, & Wind Up 28%

The facts startle, even if the trends they confirm are no longer surprising.  Nearly everyone knows that gas, wind and solar generation are booming.  But the size of the boom and its duration are extraordinary.

From March 2011 to March 2102, gas generation was up 40%, wind 28.6%, solar 92%, according to the latest EIA monthly data.  http://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly/.

While gas and wind soared, most other generation sources fell.  Coal generation fell 21%, oil 25%, hydro 17%, nuclear 6%, biomass 5%, and geothermal 2%.  All those went down, as gas, wind, and solar jumped up.

What do such market trends mean for the environment?  Air pollution and carbon emissions are dropping substantially in the USA.

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