New federal statistics indicate the decarbonization of our nation is starting to happen. Wind power is on the rise, big time; rooftop solar is coming down in price and large scale utility solar is beginning to be considered.
In 2008, 19,000 megawatts of new generating capacity went online. Around 8,300 megawatts of that were from wind and only 1,600 from coal with much of the rest from natural gas. Over the next few years, utilities are planning to put 27,000 megawatts of capacity on line, only 5,000 of which is coal — and 11,000 of which is wind power.
If solar (both distributed and large scale utility generation) gets a foothold combined with storage in the next several years and we pursue energy efficiency efforts agressively, we could dramatically reduce the need for the development of new fossil fuel generation.
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By promoting cleaner energy, cleaner government, and cleaner air for all Texans, we hope to provide for a healthy place to live and prosper. We are Public Citizen Texas.
