The news only gets better for renewables. Wind did not keep pace with Solar but wind had a huge head start. Coal is fading in the rear view mirror and natural gas is neck and neck. I think the US is finally catching on, but you can bet the first things Trump will go after will be subsidies and the EPA.
More solar energy was added in 2016 than natural gas or wind
Renewable-energy growth has accelerated in 2016, but this may go down as a milestone year for one renewable-energy source in particular.
Together, all renewable-energy sources are expected to account for 8 percent of U.S. electricity-generation capacity in 2017, according to the Department of Energy, and solar energy is responsible for most of that growth.
For the first time ever, new solar-generating capacity is expected to exceed new generating capacity for wind and natural gas.
DON’T MISS: We’re there! Renewables now cheapest unsubsidized electricity in U.S.
The final tally won’t be available until March, but enough new solar installations were expected to be completed in 2016 to outpace wind and natural gas, according to Scientific American.
A total of 9.5 gigawatts of solar-generating capacity were expected to be built in 2016, tripling the amount installed in 2015, the magazine said, citing Energy Department data.
That amount would exceed the anticipated 8.0 GW of natural gas capacity, and 6.8 GW of wind capacity.
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Go there and cheer. More next week.
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