Wind could be the next US energy revolution
Despite ongoing political battles, the market has moved on from coal to natural gas and renewables
Source: Energy Information Administration, Solar Energy Industries Association, Oxford Analytica
Outlook
The source material for new US power plants is led by natural gas, with 53,000 megawatts (MW) of generating capacity in the pipeline to be built by 2023. However, renewable energy is close behind, especially in the near term. New utility-scale solar is 52% of natural gas capacity for 2015-16 and wind power is 92% of natural gas capacity in that period.
Wind will be a dominant source of power on the Great Plains and Mountain West, where new growth capacity is often beyond the national median, in per capita terms. This industry could be a significant source of inter-state 'exports', helping more populous areas in the West have greater resiliency and ease water consumption for power plants in those drought-prone states.
Impacts
- Easier financing will make solar a more attractive option at the home and local level.
- Solar can more rapidly grow, as perhaps 34% of generation in 2014 was at the residential level.
- Coal will likely become an export commodity, dependent on prices in Europe and Asia.
See also
- Courts will slow Trump's push for energy deregulation - May 10, 2017
- Coal faces continuing challenges - Jan 8, 2015
- More graphic analysis