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The United States Energy Information Administration (“EIA”) announced in a July 28th article that:
Renewables Became the Second-Most Prevalent U.S. Electricity Source in 2020 (“Article”)
EIA defines renewable energy sources as including:
- Wind
- Hydroelectric
- Solar
- Biomass
- Geothermal energy
Renewables are stated to have generated a record 834 billion killowatthours (kWh) of electricity. This is described as 21 percent of all the electricity generated in the United States.
Natural gas ranked first in 2020.
Renewables are stated to have surpassed nuclear and coal for the first time.
The reason for renewables advancement in rank is stated to be due to:
- Significantly less coal use
- Increased use of wind and solar
Note that EIA predicts that coal-fired electricity generation is projected to increase during 2021 because:
- Natural gas prices will continue to rise
- Coal will become economically competitive
A copy of the Article can be downloaded here.