The latest Energy Infrastructure Update indicates that renewables have surpassed coal in power generating capacity for the first time.
Electricity-generating wind turbines are seen on a wind farm in the San Gorgonio Pass area on Earth Day, April 22, 2016, near Palm Springs, California. Photo credit DAVID MCNEW/AFP/Getty Images. the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission released it's latesthe non-profit SUN DAY Campaign, which analyzed the data,"that was enough to push renewable energy's share of total available installed U.S. generating capacity up to 21.56%. By comparison, coal's share dropped to 21.55% .
While the EIU indicated a statistical dead heat for capacity between coal and renewables, the trends are crystal clear. Recent history and the foreseeable future will see renewables and natural gas continue to gain market share at the expense of coal. According to the EIU, net capacity additions between now and May 2022 will be dominated by renewables:Of course it's important to note that capacity doesn't equal generation.
But it is natural gas that is still the king of generation. Although renewable capacity additions are forecast to be well ahead of natural gas additions through 2022, it is likely that natural gas will continue to be the top source of U.S. power for quite some time. The EIU indicates that natural gas now represents 44.
But given the current trends, it won't be long before renewables supply the largest share of U.S. power.Robert Rapier has over 25 years of experience in the energy industry as an engineer and an investor. Follow him on Twitter
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