Renewable Energy World | By: Kenneth Bossong | GPE – September 04, 2017:
The latest issue of the U.S. Energy Information’s (EIA) “Electric Power Monthly,” with data through June 30, reveals that renewable energy sources (i.e., biomass, geothermal, hydropower, solar — including small-scale PV — and wind) remain in a statistical dead heat with nuclear power vis-à-vis their respective shares of US electrical generation, with each providing roughly 20 percent of the total.
Originally published September 01, 2017: During the six-month period (January-June), renewables surpassed nuclear power in three of those months (March, April, and May) while nuclear power took the lead in the other three. In total, according to EIA’s data, utility-scale renewables plus small-scale solar PV provided 20.05 percent of U.S. net electrical generation compared to 20.07 percent for nuclear power.
However, renewables may actually hold a small lead because while EIA estimates the contribution from distributed PV, it does not include electrical generation by distributed wind, micro-hydro, or small-scale biomass.
EIA has acknowledged the neck-in-neck status of nuclear power and renewables and stated as much in a news release it issued in early summer. However, the agency simultaneously stressed its view that “nuclear will generate more electricity than renewables for all of 2017.”
Well, maybe…maybe not.
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