16.9% of US electricity from renewables in first half of 2016

According to the US Energy Information Agency (EIA), renewable energy – hydro-electric power, biomass, geothermal, wind, and solar – accounted for 16.9 per cent of electricity generation in the US for the first half of 2016.

Renewables provided 13.7 per cent of electricity generation in 2015, with 7.6 per cent from non-hydro renewables.

Non-hydro renewable energy accounted for 9.2 per cent of electricity for 2016 so far and hydro-electric generation has increased as well, notably thanks to California which has already exceeded its total hydro-electric generation for all 2015.

New large-scale wind and solar plants have been completed in the last two months, and more are under construction.

Once completed, they will contribute to increasing renewables generation by the end of this year.

Non-hydro renewable energy is expected to increase to over 10 per cent of electric generation in the US next year, and to triple by 2020, from 4.2 per cent in 2010.

Electricity generation in the US has gone down 2.5 per cent this year, with coal-fired power down 20 per cent, while wind and solar power have increased by 23 per cent and 31 per cent respectively.

Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa, and Colorado have seen the most growth in wind generation, with a combined added generation equivalent to powering three million homes.

California, North Carolina, Nevada, Arizona, and Georgia have had the most growth from solar, with a combined added generation of power equivalent to powering one million homes.

Utah has increased its solar power generation by 700 per cent in 2016.