Earlier this week, I shared the news of profits and growth in the wind industry. And yesterday, a key solar company reported outstanding profits as well. First Solar reduced its manufacturing cost per watt more than (more…)
Posts Tagged ‘US electricity’
First Solar profit jumps as costs fall
Thursday, April 30th, 2009Coal Share of US Electricity Falling
Wednesday, March 25th, 2009
I’ve got some good news to share — coal is losing its market share in the US electricity mix to less carbon-intensive sources. In the late 1990s, coal-fired power plants produced almost 53% of total US electricity. And the US EIA just released in its estimate for 2008 electricity that coal’s share fell to (more…)
It’s Electric: US Emissions Drop Further
Sunday, January 25th, 2009
The EIA recently released estimates for US electricity consumption in US Wind Power Growth to Slow in 2009, FPL Hints
Tuesday, October 28th, 2008It was just last week when I shared the great news of another record year for US wind power in 2008. The ~7 GW projected to come online this year is a huge feat all of us climate activists should celebrate. But the wind industry is not immune to the financial seizure gripping global markets. A leading US wind developer, Florida Power & Light (FPL), has given a first glimpse of the impact on wind’s growth for 2009. In the company’s third quarter report, FPL announced a 25% cut in 2009 capacity growth from their previous forecast.
They now plan to install 1.1 GW of wind turbines (rather than 1.4 GW), ~15% lower than this year’s 1.3 GW projection. Assuming all wind developers will follow FPL and also cut their additions by 15%, US wind capacity will grow by (more…)
Wind power can replace oil-fired electricity by end 2009
Tuesday, October 14th, 2008The US EIA just published its electric power monthly for this past June, and our country’s electricity was much more climate friendly than last year. Coal and oil-fired generation were down 1.6% and 10.6%, respectively. Cleaner burning natural gas generation was up 3.6% while carbon-free hydro and nuclear generation rose by 34.7% (on some relief from the drought out west) and 2%, respectively. And the number that caught my eye was the increase in wind generation at a rate of 81.6% from the previous June! If wind continues to grow at the June rate for the next year and a half, wind power will provide almost (more…)