Will 2016 be the year when energy production from wind and solar exceed hydro? Looking at the most recently reported monthly data from the Energy Information Administration, it seems quite likely:
While the growth in solar and wind has been dramatic in recent years, it is good to remember that the percentage growth on a year to year basis, while impressive, still leaves these two sources of electricity as on par with hydro, and still half the size of biomass. And the 9.69 quadrillion BTUs of energy supplied by all renewables sources combined for 2015, represents only 11% of the 88,078 quadrillion BTUs of energy produced in the U.S. in 2015.
Peter Manos is Director of Research for Electric Power & Smart Grid, on the Energy Sector team at ARC. He analyzes the latest trends across People, Process, and Technology to uncover business and digital transformation best practices for electric, gas, and water utilities. He can be reached at [email protected]
