Succuess With David Fernandes

February 25, 2013

Renewable energy leaves fossil fuels in the dust


Renewable energy leaves fossil fuels in the dust


http://www.vpurpose.orgProponents of renewable energy are celebrating a huge new milestone in February, after government data was released that shows 100 percent of all new electricity capacity installed last month was from renewable sources.
That's right. Not coal, natural gas or oil, but the clean, renewable sources we've all come to love like wind, biomass and solar. What's even more exciting is the stark contrast between the reading for January 2012 and January 2013. First, here's a rundown of new energy capacity that was installed in January 2012.
To kick off 2012, 47.7 percent of all new energy capacity was from coal sources. This was followed closely by natural gas at 26.3 percent of new capacity. Of the renewables, wind energy was the only source with any significant new installations, making up 16.3 percent of the total, according to figures posted by Gristmill.
Fast forward to January 2013, and you're looking at a completely different situation. Wind energy stole the show, making up an astounding 77.8 percent of all new electricity that was added during the month. Solar power rose to become a shining star last month, taking second place and making up 21.7 percent of new electricity sources. Biomass made up the sliver of remaining new energy, leaving no place for fossil fuels in last month's data.
According to The Hill, all told, 1,231 megawatts of renewable energy were installed in the U.S. last month.
The data was released around the same time President Barack Obama attempted to get promotion of renewable energy going again by breathing life into the Commerce Department's Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee.
The panel was first conceived in 2010, and was tasked with boosting the competitiveness of the U.S. renewable and energy efficiency industries.
"The renewable energy and energy efficiency sector holds tremendous growth potential, and transitioning to cleaner, safer, and affordable sources of energy is a high priority for the Department of Commerce and for President Obama," Deputy Commerce Secretary Rebecca Blank said in a statement.
The re-launch of the committee was paired with Obama's State of the Union pledge to double the amount of electricity derived from renewable sources by 2020. This comes after the U.S. already doubled renewable energy capacity between 2008 and 2012. To double one more time, Obama is urging Congress to make the renewable energy production tax credit a permanent fixture.
Let's hope the whirlwind adoption of renewables continues throughout 2013

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