April 8, 2013
THE U.S. ENERGY Information Administration (EIA) reports that for calendar year 2012, non-hydro renewable sources increased by 12.8 percent compared to 2011 and provided 5.4 percent of net U.S. electrical generation. The stats:
- Solar production grew 138.9 percent
- Geothermal by 9.6 percent
- Biomass by 1.6 percent
- Wind production grew 16.6 percent to provide 3.5 percent of net generation.
Also during the year,
- Natural gas generation grew 21.4 percent to provide 30.3 percent of net electrical generation
- Coal fell 12.5 percent to provide 37.4 percent of production and
- Nuclear power fell 2.6 percent to provide 19 percent of production.
The nationwide drought hit large hydropower hard: Big dams fell 13.4 percent to provide 6.8 percent of production.