Wind blows out other renewables

Wind generation is growing at a faster pace than any other renewable according to recent data published by the Energy Information Administration.

Renewables constituted about 11% of total energy consumption. Wind capacity increased more during 2006 than any other renewable generation source with 2,413 megawatts of new capacity.

The House just passed the  Smart Grid Facilitation Act requiring utilities generate 15% of their energy through renewables by 2020. Nationwide, EIA statistics show that renewables are less than 10% of energy generation on a nationwide basis with many states producing little, if any renewable energy. We expect a major struggle for a Federal Renewable Portfolio (that is what the renewable requirement is called) when the act goes into conference with the previously passed Senate bill which is considerably different.