[ad_1]
Increased use of renewable energy will help reduce electricity generation from coal and natural gas power plants, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) which in turn makes EVs cleaner.
The AMDAL estimates that wind and solar power together will account for 16% of total power generation by 2023, up from 14% in 2022 and 8% in 2018, thanks to the additional generation capacity scheduled to come online this year.
Wind and solar will increase their shares of the national energy mix at the expense of coal and natural gas, according to the EIA. It is estimated that the share of coal will decrease from 20% in 2022 to 18% in 2023 and 17% in 2024, and natural gas will decrease from 39% to 38% of power generation this year and 37% in 2024.
Clean generation of electricity from renewable sources, 1990-2021 (via US EIA)
This shift towards renewable energy has been made possible by the steady increase in wind and solar generation capacity over the past few years. The US is operating around 74 gigawatts of solar capacity by the end of 2022, which is about three times its end-2017 capacity, according to EIA. Wind capacity has grown by more than 60% since 2017 to about 143 gigawatts, the agency said. Wind is the top renewable energy in 2019.
The planned solar capacity expansion aided by tax credits and reduced construction costs will add another 63 gigawatts of generating capacity by the end of 2024, with many new installations in California and Texas, where natural gas is already the main source of power. That should allow solar power’s share of total electricity generation to increase from 3% in 2022 to 5% in 2023 and 6% in 2024, EIA predicts.
Another 12 gigawatts of wind generation capacity is slated to come online in 2024, with a generation share of around 11% in 2023 and increasing to 12% the following year, EIA said. Keep in mind that, taking into account sources other than wind and solar, renewables account for 20% of US electricity generation by 2021.
The 2023 Cadillac Lyriq at the EVgo DC fast charging station.
All of this should help further lower the EV’s lifetime CO2 footprint charged from the grid. As the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) points out, EV can also propel utilities towards a broader shift towards renewable energy, meaning less pollution overall. A sustained shift toward renewable energy could save $1.2 trillion in healthcare costs, according to the American Lung Association (ALA).
Despite the perceived partisan differences on renewables, a 2021 poll found that Americans see EVs as better for the environment and want more solar power, indicating at least some level of public support for keeping EV and renewable energy policies aligned.
[ad_2]
Source link
