Wind and solar are losing ground to gas

[rangerrebew]

 

Wind and solar are losing ground to gas
By David Wojick |December 28th, 2020|Energy|2 Comments

The subsidies that never die — for wind and solar power — are back. With Christmas coming on the Lame Duck Congress elected to throw untold additional billions at renewables.

What is amusing is that gas-fired power generation, a fossil fuel with no subsidy, is still growing faster than wind and solar. Far from taking over, wind and solar are actually losing ground to fossil fuels in the American power capacity mix.

The last year we have comprehensive construction data for is 2018, from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. This was a good year to use because there was a bit of a race on to build renewables before the subsidies stopped, which they were then scheduled to do. (Unfortunately, due to the Lame Ducks this is no longer true.)

https://www.cfact.org/2020/12/28/wind-and-solar-are-losing-ground-to-gas/

[thackney]

Actual electrical generation data per energy source is available for 2019 and most of 2020.

Electricity Net Generation: Total (All Sectors)
https://www.eia.gov/totalenergy/data/monthly/pdf/sec7_5.pdf

Generation is more meaningful than capacity builds.  Solar and Wind typically generate power a lower percentage of time.  Comparing capacity pretends they all run all the time; it is not a good comparison.

[Joe Wooten]

Actual electrical generation data per energy source is available for 2019 and most of 2020.

Electricity Net Generation: Total (All Sectors)
https://www.eia.gov/totalenergy/data/monthly/pdf/sec7_5.pdf

Generation is more meaningful than capacity builds.  Solar and Wind typically generate power a lower percentage of time.  Comparing capacity pretends they all run all the time; it is not a good comparison.

Capacity Factor is a good comparison though.

[Hoodat]

What is amusing is that gas-fired power generation, a fossil fuel with no subsidy, is still growing faster than wind and solar. Far from taking over, wind and solar are actually losing ground to fossil fuels in the American power capacity mix.

Isn't that weird how economics works?  People expecting the most value possible for their dollar?

They should just give everyone the option on their electric bills whether they want to pay 13¢/kwh for gas-fired electricity that they can use 24/7, or pay 22¢/kwh for solar electricity that they can only use during the day or wind they can only use when it's windy.  Liberal heads would explode when they find out that no consumers chose option 2.