For the first five months of 2014, renewable energy sources (i.e., biomass, geothermal, solar, water, wind) accounted for 54.1% of the 3,136 MW of new domestic electrical generating installed. This was comprised of solar (907 MW), wind (678 MW), biomass (73 MW), geothermal steam (32 MW), and water (8 MW).
By comparison, two new units of natural gas provided just 49 MW while no new capacity was provided by coal, oil, or nuclear power. Thus, for the month, renewables provided more than seven times the amount of new capacity as that from fossil fuels and nuclear power.
Renewable energy sources, including hydropower, now account for 16.28% of total installed U.S. operating generating capacity: water – 8.57%, wind – 5.26%, biomass – 1.37%, solar – 0.75%, and geothermal steam – 0.33%. This is more than nuclear (9.24%) and oil (4.03%) combined.
