California And Texas, Pioneers In The Mainstreaming of Renewable Energy

picture-14309-1371183830.jpg
on

California and Texas continue to break new ground in making electricty generation from renewable sources a vital part of the United States’ energy mix.

California, for its part, is following up on the huge year solar energy had in 2013 by breaking the record for single-day solar photovoltaic (PV) energy generation back in March, and then breaking its own record on June 1. The new record in California โ€” 4,767 Megawatts of utility-scale solar PV energy fed into the grid in one day โ€” is the national record, as well.

California installed some 2,261 MW of solar capacity in 2013, more than any other state, and looks to be on track to post up even bigger numbers this year. PV Magazine reports that โ€œCaliforniaโ€™s solar footprint is growing bigger with each passing day, week and month, with May recording three times as much solar generation as recorded during the same month in 2013.โ€

Texas may seem like a strange bedfellow for California when it comes to the mainstreaming of energy sources that aren’t oil, but the Lone Star State set a new record for itself on March 26 when 10.2 GW, nearly a third of the state’s electricity generation that day, came from the wind. State regulators don’t expect that record to last long, either.

These two examples point to a clear trend of renewable energy scaling up nationwide in blue states and red statesย alike.

In the first quarter of 2014, solar accounted for more than 50% of all new electricity generation capacity installed in the US, some 584 MW, with new solar power plants going online in California, Massachussetts, North Carolina, and Texas.

Wind came in second at 427 MW. Natural gas came in third at 90 MW.

Photo by Willtron via Wikimediaย Commons

picture-14309-1371183830.jpg
Mike Gaworecki is a San Francisco-based journalist who writes about energy, climate, and forest issues for DeSmogBlog and Mongabay.com. His writing has appeared on BillMoyers.com, Alternet, Treehugger, Change.org, Huffington Post, and more. He is also a novelist whose debut โ€œThe Mysticistโ€ came out via FreemadeSF inย 2014.

Related Posts

on

UCP pledges to abandon the provinceโ€™s net zero targets, and remove the designation of CO2 as a pollutant.

UCP pledges to abandon the provinceโ€™s net zero targets, and remove the designation of CO2 as a pollutant.
on

Speaking at the UCP annual general meeting, the Premier took shots at the federal government and vowed not to โ€œbudge an inch.โ€

Speaking at the UCP annual general meeting, the Premier took shots at the federal government and vowed not to โ€œbudge an inch.โ€
on

One candidate has sworn off taking money from regulated companies

One candidate has sworn off taking money from regulated companies
on

Findings by InfluenceMap highlight mismatch between communication agencies' climate pledges, and their work on behalf of major polluters.

Findings by InfluenceMap highlight mismatch between communication agencies' climate pledges, and their work on behalf of major polluters.