A "Wow" moment: In April, the US's renewable energy reached a record 28 percent. What is the change's initiator?

 

In April, a record 28 percent of the nation's electricity came from renewable sources, a figure that demonstrates the growing significance of renewable energy in the country's energy markets.

It's a "Wow" moment, according to energy analyst and author Peter Kelly-Detwiler, of "The Energy Switch," a recently published book about the shift to a carbon-free energy economy.

From 8.6 percent in April 2001 to 28 percent in April, the amount of electricity in the US that is produced by renewable sources like wind, solar, and hydroelectric dams has been constantly increasing. These figures were made public this week by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, which monitors national energy data.

What causes the increase?

There are several causes. The fact that wind and solar installations predominated in American energy buildouts is at the top. Harrison Fell, an economist and engineer at Columbia University, where he co-leads the Power Sector and Renewables Research Initiative, said that in essence, the only energy sources we have added to the grid in the last ten years are wind, solar, and natural gas.

There are two explanations for this. Cost is the first. According to Kelly-Detwiler, renewable energy sources are simply the most cost-effective power sources currently accessible.

A new wind turbine would have cost $26 to $50 to produce one megawatt-hour of power in 2021. According to Lazard, a financial advising company that releases annual estimates of the cost of producing power, the same quantity of electricity from the least expensive kind of natural gas plant ranged from $45 to $74.

Mandates and incentives issued by the federal and state governments to use more clean energy are also beneficial, according to Fell.

Wind and solar power are frequently likely to be the most profitable additions at this time, he said, when calculating what should be added.

A factor was the weather.

Yes. This spring was windier than most, according to Fell, who noted that April is often a particularly windy month.

Additionally, less energy from nuclear and fossil sources enters the system in the spring. Because of the mild weather and the fact that fossil fuel and nuclear power facilities use the time for maintenance and refuelling, which lowers their output, he explained, the demand for electricity is typically lower.

The fact that wind and solar energy combined to produce more electricity than nuclear power facilities in April was a further surprise.

Nuclear power facilities have consistently produced roughly 20% of America's electricity in the past, and they are carbon-neutral. In April, that percentage fell to 18%, while the combined rate for wind and solar energy was 19.6%.

The shutdown of two nuclear power stations, Indian Point in New York and Palisades in Michigan, as well as planned maintenance closures contributed to the decline in nuclear power.

Will the pattern remain?

Nearly 46% of U.S. electricity in April came from sources that don't contribute to greenhouse gases to the environment, according to federal data, when all carbon-neutral energy sources in the country are combined, including nuclear, wind, hydroelectric, and solar.

It's a landmark, according to Kelly-Detwiler. However, upon looking back in a few years, we'll think, "This was a good steppingstone to the next 'Wow!' moment."