Wind and solar were all the new U.S. electric generation in September 2012

Wind and sun provided all the new electric power generation deployed in September 2012. As Moore’s Law continues to decrease solar prices, solar power gets deployed still more rapidly, and wind also gets installed on time and on budget. Meanwhile, nuclear takes a three-legged nuclear regulatory-capture stool and hardly any new reactors get finished anyway.

Stephen Lacey wrote for TP Climate Progress 24 October 2012, Wind And Solar Make Up 100% Of New U.S. Electricity Capacity In September,

September was tied for the hottest of any September on record globally. It was also a very hot month for renewable energy in the U.S. According to figures from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, wind and solar accounted for all new electricity capacity added to America’s grid in September.

New wind is up 25% Jan-Sep 2012 over the same period last year, and new solar is up 78%. For comparison, new coal is up 22%, new natural gas is down 50%, and new oil electrical generation is down 90%. Last year solar accounted for only 70% more new megawatts than biomass; this year it was 170%. Last year wind and solar combined added twice as many megawatts as coal; this year more than that (2.29 times or 129%). Last year wind + sun accounted for only 40% as much new generation as natural gas; this year 109%. So wind increased faster than any chemical-fuel-burning energy generation method, and solar increased faster than that. This continues the long-term trend of solar prices going down and solar deployment going up.

Even in Georgia solar deployment is going up. But solar and solar jobs would go up a lot faster without that 1973 Territorial Electric Service Act getting in the way. You can vote right now for two new Georgia Public Service Commissioners and for new legislators who could fix that.

-jsq