Ryan Maye Handy reports that electricity generated by wind, solar and hydroelectric sources in March and April exceeded power provided by nuclear plants for the first time in more than 30 years, when nuclear plants were still coming into the power mix, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
This milestone is another example of the rapid growth of renewable technologies as their costs come down and their efficiency improves, making them more attractive to customers, businesses and investors seeking cleaner energy sources for the time being.
Between March 2016 and March 2017, wind power increased by 16% and solar power increased by 65% (? Fact Check - from next to nothing). And that growth is expected to continue this year, with wind power projected to increase another 8% and utility-scale solar generation jumping 40% (? also starting from next to nothing).
Hydroelectric power received a boost from record rain and snow in the West, which swelled rivers and increased generation. Hydro power increased by 14% from a year earlier, this being a significant increase.
Power from nuclear plants, meanwhile, has flatlined (?) since the late 1990s, the Energy Department said. Nuclear capacity (?) has dropped as aging plants have been shut down (?) as they came to the end of their useful lives(?) or could no longer compete with lower-cost sources, including natural gas,(which is true in some cases, but how long will gas prices be low?)
Renewable energy climb past nuclear this spring also received a boost by planned outages of nuclear plants during March and April, when about 14 to 21% of the nation's total nuclear plants were undergoing maintenance,(? the main reason renewables show an increase for now).
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