U.S. Wind Energy Generation Fell Last Year, With the Greatest Decreases Recorded in the Midwest
For the first time in more than a decade, the United States had a decrease in utility-scale electricity generation from renewable sources, according to the Energy Information Administration.
U.S. Wind Energy Generation Fell Last Year, With the Greatest Decreases Recorded in the Midwest
A cluster of wind turbines near Wilton, N.D. Credit: Dan Koeck/The Washington Post via Getty Images
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When talking about the growth of renewable energy, I often say it’s not notable when wind, solar or other technologies reach a record high, because they should be doing that every year.
Then 2023 came along.
For the first time in more than a decade, the United States had a decrease in utility-scale electricity generation from renewable sources, according to the Energy Information Administration.
The decrease was small—0.8 percent—but it’s still significant considering substantial growth is considered “normal.”
I set out this week to understand what factors led to this surprising setback. So I stepped into the office, via a video call, of Mike Augustyniak, director of meteorology at WCCO, a television station in Minneapolis.
Why talk to a meteorologist about a problem of energy economics? It turns out that the big issue behind the drop in renewable energy generation was weather, including drought and a lack of strong winds.
“I've been forecasting for 27 years, and it's unlike anything I've ever seen,” Augustyniak said.
He was referring to a high pressure weather system that parked over Canada for much of last summer, helping to block warm fronts and cold fronts— and the stronger winds associated with them—that usually would flow across much of Canada and the Upper Midwest.
For people on the ground, a high pressure system feels pretty good, with low humidity and a low chance of precipitation, Augustyniak said. But if it goes on too long, things go awry.
“We've just baked all the moisture out of the earth, because we did not have any rainfall to replace what would normally kind of evaporate during a nice sunny day,” he said.
One consequence of the lingering high pressure system was wildfires in Canada, which sent smoke far and wide.
Another consequence: The wind didn’t blow with as much force as before.
Wind farms are the country’s largest source of renewable electricity, and their output was down 2.1 percent in 2023 compared to the prior year.
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From: Inside Clean Energy <newsletters@insideclimatenews.org>