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While solar PV modules produce no emissions during operation, toxic substances (e.g., cadmium and selenium) are used in some technologies. electricity demand met by solar and a 18% decrease in electricity sector greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative aims to reduce the price of solar energy 50% by 2030, which is projected to lead to 33% of U.S. 13 Solar accounted for 43% of new generating capacity in 2020. In 2020, a new record high of over 19.2 GW of solar photovoltaic capacity was added in the U.S., raising total installed capacity to over 97 GW. manufactured 1% of PV cells and 3% of PV modules globally in 2019. PV module prices have declined to $0.52-$0.61/Watt in residential systems. land area could meet national electricity demand. Installed Wind Capacity, Top 5 Countries, 2020 3Īssuming intermediate efficiency, solar photovoltaic (PV) modules covering 0.6% of U.S. Wind turbines generate no emissions and use no water when producing electricity, but concerns include bat and bird mortality, land use, noise, and aesthetics. electricity demand and result in 12.3 gigatonnes of avoided CO 2 emissions, a 14% reduction when compared to 2013. 10 By 2050, 404 GW of wind capacity would meet an estimated 35% of U.S. average in 2018) can displace 4,807 metric tons of CO 2 emissions per year. electricity fuel mix, a 2.42 MW wind turbine (U.S. 8 In 2020, the PTC was extended to allow wind projects beginning construction in 2020 or 2021 a PTC at 1.5¢/kWh for 10 years of electricity output. The federal production tax credit (PTC) significantly influences wind development, but cycles of enactment and expiration lead to year-to-year changes in investment. Over 16 GW of wind capacity was installed in the U.S. 3,4 Offshore wind resources are potentially 4,200 GW, current capacity is 42 MW, and the development pipeline contained over 28 GW of projects in 2019. onshore wind resources have a potential capacity of almost 11,000 GW and current installed capacity of 117.7 GW.
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Total and Renewable Energy Consumption by Source, 2020 1 Renewable Energy Consumption: Historic and Projected 1 ,2 Wind and solar are the fastest growing renewable sources, but contribute just 4.6% of total energy used in the U.S. In 2019, renewables surpassed coal in the amount of energy provided to the U.S. About 78% of the nation’s energy comes from fossil fuels, 8.9% from nuclear, and 12.5% from renewable sources. Renewable energy has the potential to meet demand with a much smaller environmental footprint and can help to alleviate other pressing problems, such as energy security, by contributing to a distributed and diversified energy infrastructure. The current fuel mix is associated with a multitude of environmental impacts, including global climate change, acid rain, freshwater consumption, hazardous air pollution, and radioactive waste. While energy is essential to modern society, most primary sources are unsustainable.