For one day in March, wind-generated electricity surpassed coal and nuclear and became second only to natural gas. On March 29, wind turbines throughout the continental US produced 19 percent of the nation’s energy, government data shows.
According to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), “on Tuesday, March 29, wind turbines in the Lower 48 states produced 2,017 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity, making wind the second-largest source of electric generation for the day, only behind natural gas.”
While wind power wasn’t the largest source of electricity that day, wind power has ranked in front of coal and nuclear energy on a number of separate occasions, but never both on the same day, reports USAToday. Natural gas is still the largest source of electricity generation in the country.
The EIA notes that in the spring and fall months, nuclear and coal generators reduce their output because demand tends to be lower, which could contribute to why wind turbines produced more electricity that day.
While the milestone date is important, it may be short-lived, according to NPR.org. The EIA doesn’t project wind to again pass any other source for any month in the rest of 2022 or 2023.
President Joe Biden has set a goal of achieving 80 percent carbon-free power before the decade ends, including nuclear and hydropower. This amounts to an increase from 42 percent in the US last year from low- and zero-carbon sources.
“It is going to be tough,” said Ric O’Connell, a consultant. Difficulties involving the logistics and expense of large amounts of renewables on the grid have been solved, per Scientific American.
But transmission and interconnection issues, as well as supply chain limitations, make growth in renewable capacity difficult. “A lot of stuff has to happen to keep it going,” O’Connell said, adding that it will take require efforts beyond the government.
