In March of this year, 10 percent of all electricity generated in the United States came from both wind and solar power sources. 10 percent may not seem like a huge number, but it is record-setting for the country. The Energy Information Administration report details that this milestone is a first in U.S. history. Furthermore, The EIA predicts that the trend will have continued for April, which will be yet another first.
If anything, this news proves that renewable energy sources like solar and wind power are becoming an extremely valuable source of electricity to the States. No longer can these forms of energy be considered “alternative,” they are necessary to the smooth functioning of our power system.
For the most part, we have individual states and their renewable energy goals to thank for this boom in wind and solar energy. Annually, almost 7 percent of U.S. electric power comes from solar and wind energy, with Texas supplying the countries most wind power and California supplying the most solar power. If current trends continue, states like California hope to use only renewable energy by 2045.
Weather patterns, daylight hours and seasonal changes all contribute to the unpredictability in the demand for how much energy Americans will consume. Hopefully, the share of renewable energy in this equation will only continue to rise.
Main and lead photo by Free-Photos / Pixabay, CC0
Caitlin Phillips is a freelance writer spending her summer in Budapest, Hungary.