In its recent Energy Infrastructure Update, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission notes that the country’s generation mix is becoming less carbon-intensive. In other words, there is more electricity from renewable resources and less from coal in the electricity being used across the United States.
According to the 2018 Sustainable Energy in America Factbook, 2017 saw more than 18 percent of the country’s electricity generated by renewable resources including solar, wind and hydroelectric power plants. That’s an increase from the 15 percent reported in 2016, partially due to the end of drought in parts of the West.
The share of U.S. energy coming from renewable resources has doubled since 2008. Much of the change has included the retirement of coal plants and the construction of 2,900 megawatts of utility-scale solar and wind projects last year. Overall, FERC projects another 116,000 MW of new utility-scale renewable energy will be installed by the end of 2020.
Currently, nationwide coal accounts for between 24 and 30 percent of the available electricity capacity in the United States.
For 18 of Colorado’s 22 electric co-ops served by Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, the numbers are higher for renewables with about 30 percent of their electricity coming from renewables that include wind, solar, biomass and hydropower. For co-ops buying their electricity from Xcel Energy, more than 25 percent of their energy is from renewable resources, with more wind power scheduled to be added to the mix.