Renewables reach electricity milestone
They exceed nuclear power, but the lead likely won’t last
Electricity generated by wind, solar and hydroelectric sources in March and April exceeded power provided by nuclear plants for the first time in more than 30 years, when nuclear plants were still coming into the power mix, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
This milestone is another example of the rapid growth of renewable technologies as their costs come down and their efficiency improves, making them more attractive to customers, businesses and investors seeking cleaner energy sources.
Between March 2016 and March 2017, wind power increased by 16 percent and solar power increased by 65 percent. And that growth is expected to continue this year, with wind power projected to increase another 8 percent and utility-scale solar generation jumping 40 percent.
Hydroelectric power received a boost from record rain and snow in the West, which swelled rivers and increased generation. Hydro power increased by 14 percent from a year earlier.
Power from nuclear plants, meanwhile, has flatlined since the late 1990s, the Energy Department said. Nuclear capacity has dropped as aging plants have been shut down as they came to the end of their useful lives or could no longer compete with lower-cost sources, including natural gas.
Renewable energy’s climb past nuclear this spring also received a boost by planned outages of nuclear plants during March and April, when about 14 to 21 percent of the nation’s total nuclear plants were undergoing maintenance.
The department expects that monthly nuclear generation will again surpass renewable resources this summer, and power plants will generate more energy than renewables for the year.