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US Solar Generation Doubled in 2014, Renewable Output Grew 11%
Reported on Renewable Energy World Magazine, the U.S. Energy Information Administration 2014 report saw non-hydro renewable energy generation increase by 11 percent over the previous year — and solar power led the charge in growth, if not in overall share of U.S. electricity supply. “Solar still made up less than one-half percent, and wind power only 4.4 percent, of the country’s electricity mix last year. But the trends are clearly moving them into a far more important role — particularly in states such as California and Hawaii, where they’re starting to have a significant impact on how utilities and regulators are managing the power grid.”
Limitless Photovoltaic Future
According to RD Magazine, researchers working with solar technologies have made great strides over the past several years, so much so that photovoltaic systems are now considered a viable and cost-competitive energy alternative to traditional fossil fuel energy sources. “As a result of these trends, the cost of electrical energy derived from PV cells/panels in the U.S. is expected to equal the cost of electrical energy produced by natural gas-driven turbines by 2025. But, improvements in PV performance and production output are increasing at a much faster rate than initially estimated.”
Sunny Side East: Solar Takes Off in Eastern U.S.
Although the sunny west coast has long been the engine behind the U.S. solar industry’s massive growth, the east coast is starting to give it a run for its money. North Carolina has surpassed even California in the number of new utility-scale solar farms under development. Climate Central reports the “the adoption of solar is spreading quickly nationwide — and nowhere is that more evident than in states like Texas, as well as Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina and Georgia.”
Our Clean Energy Moment Is Now
The Huffington Post shines the light on solar’s “moment”. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, utility-scale solar capacity is “expected to increase by more than 60 percent” between now and 2016.
Scientists Have Figured Out a Way to Convert Solar Energy Into Liquid Fuel
Time reported that researchers at Harvard discovered how to convert solar energy into liquid fuel, potentially accelerating the switch to using this alternative-energy source. “At the moment, solar energy can be converted into hydrogen by using photovoltaic cells. The hydrogen can then be stored in fuel cells for future use. But hydrogen has failed to make headway as an energy source in a world that is infrastructurally set up to handle liquid fuels. Now, however, scientists have figured out a way of using sunlight to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. They then use a bacterium to convert the hydrogen, plus carbon dioxide, into the liquid fuel isopropanol.”
New Bill Supports Utilizing Wind, Solar Energy in Minnesota
Called the Minnesota Clean Energy Plan , more than 60 clean energy organizations are teaming up with lawmakers to pass a bill that will make Minnesota a leader in creating renewable resources.
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