Ray, S. (2021, January 11). Renewables account for most new U.S. electricity generating capacity in 2021 – Today in Energy – U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). U.S. Energy Information Administration. https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id= 46416

 

Of the planned additions to the United State’s energy grid in 2021, the vast majority of new developments will harness renewable energy. The greatest proportion of this energy will come from solar power as it is expected to make up 39% of the 39 gigawatts coming online in the coming year. This is followed close behind by wind energy which will make up 31% of the total increase in energy production. Battery storage capability will make up 11% of the increase and although this figure may seem small, it represents an increase of four times the amount of battery storage added last year. A new nuclear reactor in Georgia is expected to begin producing energy this year as well, and its output will make up 3% of the total 39 GW. Finally, natural gas production will make up only 16% of the total energy production projected to increase in 2021. 

 

The increase in renewable energy production that is highlighted in the article reflects the reality that nonrenewable energy must be replaced by renewable alternatives in the near future. This rise in renewable energy production that is currently occurring will cause a rise in other environmentally friendly technologies to help work around some of the shortcoming of the energy sources. For instance, solar and wind farms are often being paired with utility-scale batteries to store power for later use. This technology is important as it allows communities to avoid having to rely on nonrenewable energy when time of day or weather conditions prevent solar or wind farms from producing sufficient energy. The amount of energy that renewable sources can produce depends greatly on the environment they are in (wind farms are most efficient in areas with high winds and solar farms are most efficient in places with year round sun), therefore environmental scientists should be consulted to select the most efficient areas to build renewable power plants. This will allow the plants to maximize the amount of renewable energy we are producing — something which will prove important in the switch to renewable energy as the cost of development is often higher than nonrenewable options.