Federal Data Reveals a Surprising Drop in Renewable Power in 2023, as Slow Winds and Drought Took a Toll

U.S. utility-scale renewable electrical energy technology fell in 2023 on account of climate patterns that diminished output from wind farms and drought that affected hydropower. Information launched by the Power Info Administration reveals a lower of 0.8 p.c in comparison with the prior yr.

It is a gorgeous outcome, contemplating that utility-scale renewables have been a fast-growing a part of the electrical energy combine and are an important useful resource for the nation’s transition away from fossil fuels.

However consultants urged warning in decoding the outcomes.

“There’s no motive to overreact to a one-year blip,” mentioned Daniel Cohan, an environmental engineering professor at Rice College. “Renewable electrical energy continues to be on tempo to greater than double by the top of the last decade as tons of of latest photo voltaic and wind farms come on-line.”

The nation’s wind farms, photo voltaic farms, hydroelectric dams and different utility-scale energy crops generated 893,518 gigawatt-hours in 2023, which was simply in need of the file excessive reached the prior yr.

Renewables have been 21.4 p.c of the nation’s utility-scale electrical energy technology, behind solely pure gasoline energy crops, which have been 43.1 p.c. The opposite main sources have been nuclear, with 18.6 p.c, and coal, with 16.2 p.c.

The biggest supply of renewable electrical energy is wind, and it suffered in 2023. U.S. wind farms generated 425,235 gigawatt-hours final yr, down 2.1 p.c from the prior yr. 

Many of the lower was on account of sluggish wind speeds within the Midwest throughout hotter climate months, primarily based on studies from regional grid operators.

One motive for the relative lack of wind was a drop within the variety of heat fronts and chilly fronts passing by the Midwest in 2023, mentioned Kenny Blumenfeld, senior climatologist within the Minnesota State Local weather Workplace. The passage of fronts is usually related to a rise in wind and precipitation.

The lower in heat and chilly fronts could also be due to a change in a world climate sample, like an El Niño impact. Researchers are how local weather change impacts these patterns, however that is an unsettled space of examine, Blumenfeld mentioned.

A good bigger issue is that 2022 was unusually windy, so 2023 had a tough time dwelling as much as the prior yr.

“It’s actually 2022 that appears just like the aberration right here,” Blumenfeld mentioned. “It actually stands out as a windy yr at stations throughout Minnesota.”

Different components included delays in finishing main onshore and offshore wind farms due to components shortages and issue acquiring permits. One instance is Winery Wind 1 off of Massachusetts, which is underneath building and solely this month started delivering electrical energy from 5 of its anticipated 62 generators, years later than builders had initially deliberate.

Hydropower crops generated 239,855 gigawatt-hours, down 5.9 p.c from 2022. The primary motive for the lower was a drop in water ranges at hydroelectric dams in areas experiencing drought.

Utility-scale photo voltaic farms generated 164,502 gigawatt-hours, up 14.4 p.c. The expansion was primarily due to new photo voltaic farms coming on-line.

The nationwide lower in renewable technology applies solely to utility-scale energy sources, that are people who serve the grid. Not included on this complete are small-scale photo voltaic initiatives, which are sometimes on rooftops of houses and companies. Small-scale photo voltaic technology final yr was 73,619 gigawatt-hours, up 20.1 p.c.

If small-scale photo voltaic is included within the nation’s complete renewable vitality technology, versus simply utility-scale technology, then the outcome is a rise of 0.5 p.c in 2023.

The EIA figures come from the Electrical Energy Month-to-month with information for December 2023, launched on Monday. The numbers are preliminary and may very well be revised, however it might be uncommon to see massive revisions.