Renewables = 16% of US Electricity in November 2015
Accompanying my latest report on US electricity generation capacity, this article covers the latest figures on US electricity generation (that is, actual electricity produced, not just production capability). While the capacity numbers come from FERC and my own estimates, the generation data and estimates now come from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).
We saw a jump in electricity generation from renewables in November 2015 (48,468 GWh, or 16.05% of generation) compared to November 2014 (47,114 GWh, or 14.76%), and an even bigger jump compared to October 2015 (42,609 GWh, or 13.56%).
For 2015 through November, renewable electricity was up just slightly (from 502,514 GWh to 508,616 GWh, or 13.4% to 13.5%). That’s not particularly exciting.
The biggest changes in generation from Jan–Nov 2015 vs Jan–Nov 2014 come from coal and natural gas:
- Coal electricity decreased by 190,754 GWh.
- Natural gas electricity increased by 187,647 GWh.
Not nearly at that level, but somewhat significantly as well, solar & wind electricity together increased by ~14,000 GWh while hydroelectricity decreased by about ⅔ that amount:
- Solar electricity increased 10,627 GWh.
- Wind electricity increased 3,658 GWh.
- Hydro electricity decreased 9,219 GWh.
Renewables, on the whole, increased electricity generation by 6,102 GWh.
Fossil fuel electricity, on the whole, decreased 3,616 GWh.
We have a loooong way to go.
Check out last month’s US electricity generation report: “Renewables = 13.6% Of US Electricity In October.”
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