Electricity generation in the United States is supplied mainly by coal, natural gas and nuclear sources. However, renewable energy sources provided 12 percent of electric generation in 2012, reported the Penn State Extension.
How do the various sources of renewable energy compare?
More than half of the renewable-generated electricity is derived from hydroelectric power, accounting for 56 percent of the total. Much of the hydroelectric power capacity originates from dams built before 1980 and operated by federal government agencies.
More than a quarter of the renewable generated electricity, or 28 percent, is from wind power. In the past decade, wind generation increased greatly due to Federal financial incentives and state government policies for renewable portfolio standards.
Wood biomass accounts for 8 percent of the renewable electric energy. This is mainly from lumber and paper mills that recycle their own wood waste for their electric needs. Biomass waste energy generation has been increasing as municipal solid waste generates energy to run power plants. It accounts for 4 percent of the renewable energy for electric power.
Geothermal energy accounts for 3 percent of the electricity from renewables. Most geothermal power plants are located in the west, the largest group of geothermal plants located at the Geysers in California. In 2012, the United States produced a record breaking 16.791 million megawatt-hours.
Solar power makes up 1 percent of the renewable-generated electricity. Unlike other renewable sources, small-scale, customer-sited solar panels provide a significant amount of energy. According to the Annual Energy Outlook 2103, small solar facilities are projected to account for 14.13 million megawatts of electricity in 2013.
The availability of renewable resources varies from state to state, and it can also vary due to availability of the resources – rainfall, wind and sunshine. The United States is second only to China in total electricity generation from renewable energy; however, the United States leads in most electricity from non-hydroelectric renewable sources.
Although renewable energy is more environmentally friendly than fossil and nuclear energy, renewable energy technologies are more expensive per unit of electricity output. Renewable resources are often located in remote areas, and the infrastructure to deliver power to larger metropolitan areas is expansion. Policies such as tax credits, renewable portfolio standards with renewable energy targets, and state renewable energy credits which allow electricity providers to sell renewable energy credits are incentives to help increase renewable energy use.