Renewable energy accounts for 40% of new energy generation in the US

Report shows that clean energy has made strong progress this year

The U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has released its new Energy Infrastructure Update report, highlighting progress being made in the country’s energy make up and the role that renewable energy is playing therein. The report shows that the amount of electrical power being produced from renewable resources is on the rise. The clean power sector has seen dramatic growth over the past two years and several new energy projects came online at the end of 2013 that have bolstered the country’s clean energy production.

Renewables account for 40% of all new energy capacity that came online so far this year

According to the report, renewable energy now accounts for 40% of all new electric capacity that went online in the first nine months of 2014. Natural gas is still considered the largest source of new energy capacity, but solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, and hydropower have become very prominent within the country’s energy infrastructure. The report shows that in September, two-thirds of the country’s new generating capacity came from renewable sources.

Clean energy capacity continues to grow

The report shows that no new generation capacity has come from coal so far this year. The U.S. has been working to reduce its reliance on coal in order to curb the emissions that it is responsible for. As such, the government has been supporting the development of renewable energy projects, as well as the commercialization of various forms of clean energy. In recent years, natural gas has become the country’s favored alternative to coal. While natural gas is inexpensive, it still produces harmful emissions when burned and obtaining this fuel is an environmentally hazardous process.

Clean energy is now larger than oil and nuclear power combined

Currently, renewable energy represents 16.35% of all installed operating capacity in the U.S. The country’s clean energy capacity is now larger than its oil and nuclear capacity combined. This is partly because of the aggressive support that the government has shown various energy projects and this support is expected to carry on for several years into the future.