Every megawatt of new electrical generation capacity in the US in September came from solar or wind power, official figures reveal.
According to the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) September 2012 Energy Infrastructure Update, 433MW of new generation capacity was installed last month. Wind accounted for 300MW of this, solar for the other 133MW.
Try Premium for just $1
- Full premium access for the first month at only $1
- Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
- Cancel anytime during the trial period
Premium Benefits
- Expert industry analysis and interviews
- Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
- Exclusive event discounts
Or get the full Premium subscription right away
Or continue reading this article for free
None of September’s new capacity came from traditional fossil-based sources, although in the preceding eight months the FERC figures show natural gas added over 4.5GW of new capacity and coal over 2.27GW.
This was compared to 936MW for solar over the same period and 4GW for wind.
The figures show that overall the US now has 3.37GW of solar generating capacity in operation, representing 0.29% of the country’s total. Natural gas is by far the US’s most important electrical resource, accounting for 483.92GW — 41.99% — of total capacity.
Do you have an opinion on this article? Share your views with the industry on our Solar Business Focus LinkedIn group.
