ERROR 1
ERROR 1
ERROR 2
ERROR 2
ERROR 2
ERROR 2
ERROR 2
Password and Confirm password must match.
If you have an ACS member number, please enter it here so we can link this account to your membership. (optional)
ERROR 2
ACS values your privacy. By submitting your information, you are gaining access to C&EN and subscribing to our weekly newsletter. We use the information you provide to make your reading experience better, and we will never sell your data to third party members.
Renewable energy—particularly wind and solar—is continuing a rapid expansion and is becoming a key source of electricity in the U.S. and globally, say recent reports.
A new analysis by the U.S. Energy Information Administration finds a shift in domestic renewable energy sources in recent years. Traditionally, hydroelectric dams and other renewable electricity generation technologies based on gravity-pulled water have been the main source of renewable energy.
But today, electrical output from nonhydropower sources—primarily wind and solar, but also biomass and geothermal—exceeds output from hydropower sources. For instance, EIA found that, in March and April of 2016, nonhydropower renewable electricity generation was more than 10% of the total mix of all U.S. electricity sources.
This trend is global. Wind and solar are the fastest-growing energy sources throughout the world, according to the International Energy Agency.
The international group warns about difficulties merging these sources with their variable output into existing electrical grids, however. In a recent report, IEA presents operating strategies to more easily integrate and deploy these variable output energy sources, such as better weather and energy-demand forecasting, power plant scheduling, and energy storage.
Join the conversation
Contact the reporter
Submit a Letter to the Editor for publication
Engage with us on Twitter