Ever since environmental concerns surfaced, people have been devising new ways to harness power through sustainable means. Although natural gas is still the main source of electricity, the US has been using eco-friendly energy sources more.
Renewable Powersource in the US
The United States is slowly inching toward renewable energy, as the US Energy Information Administration stated that renewable power generation from solar, wind, hydroelectric, biomass, hydroelectric, and geothermal technology has already surpassed coal last year.
Coal-fired generation in electric power has decreased due from 23% to 20% in a year due to coal plants closing down, as well as the remaining plants' reduced usage. Nuclear has also taken a 1% decrease in the last year due to the Palisades nuclear power plant closing.
Renewable power generation has produced 4,090 million megawatt-hours with all the sources combined, which overall accounts for 21% of the power source. Mostly, the eco-friendly energy source came from wind and solar with a total of 14%, which was 12% in 2021.
Wind-generated power was mostly produced in Texas, according to the EIA, accounting for 26% of the total wind generation last year in the US. Iowa is the second-largest with 10%, while Oklahoma accounts for 9%.
Other environment-friendly sources of energy such as hydropower generation remain the same, which is still at 6%. The same can be said about biomass and geothermal energy sources, which is still at 1% by 2022.
Natural gas is still in the lead when it comes to being the main power source, which accounts for 39% of electricity generation in the US, which has only grown from 37% back in 2021. According to Engadget, the EIA expects that coal-fired generation will drop to 17%.
Read Also : Renewable Energy to Overtake Coal as the Biggest Source of Electricity by 2025, IEA Says
Why is Renewable Energy Important?
As the population grows, more energy is needed to sustain a comfortable living environment, and non-renewable energy sources are no longer the best option as they are limited. Fossil fuels can also release vast amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
Not only does this significantly contribute to global warming and climate change, but there are also better options. Renewable energy is more sustainable since the sources can be infinite, and they are more eco-friendly as opposed to coal or fossil fuels.
For instance, solar energy is one of the most available sources since sunlight is the main resource, which is limitless. According to EDF, the solar energy that reaches the Earth in an hour is more than its total energy requirements for a year.
Wind energy can also be an abundant source of clean energy, although turbines are entirely reliant on how much wind there is. It may be renewable, but it may not be the most reliable source of power.
Hydroelectric power is more stable since it depends on water flow, which could be sourced from a dam. Since the controlled flow of water is continuous, it can be more reliable than both solar and wind. In fact, it can even be used to store energy when it is needed.
