SOLAR TODAY - May 2011

Solar — By the close of 2010, the u.s. solar industry had 2. 13 gigawatts (gw) connected to the grid, of which 82 percent was distributed. solar energy industries association reports that 25 gw of utility-scale projects are in various stages of planning and construction. the solar industry is thus poised to climb higher up the list.

Maine

Massachusetts
Rhode Island
Connecticut
District of Columbia
New Jersey

Maryland Delaware

SwBG

Solar
Wind
Wind — 2. 3 percent of
U.S. electricity generation

Biomass — 1.4 percent of
U.S. electricity generation

•;Total;generation:;56. 5;million;MWh •;New;2010;generation:

2 million mwh
Biomass is renewable energy’s
primary nonhydro contribution to
baseload electricity in this country.
although the bioenergy industry has
been mostly stagnant over the past
two decades, until 2008 it surpassed
even wind in terms of net genera-
tion.

Because so many different source fuels constitute biomass, it’s an under-the-radar renewable resource that lacks a unified industry voice. according to the energy information administration, the shortlist of what quali-fies as biomass includes paper pellets, railroad ties, utility poles, wood chips, biogenic municipal solid waste, land-fill gas, agricultural byproducts and biomass gases (including digester gases and methane). these materials, and others, are typically burned at cogeneration plants that provide both heat and electricity. the nation’s largest biomass power plant, the 140-mw new hope Power Partnership in south Bay, fla., is a cogenerator that relies on burning sugar cane and recycled urban wood.

forty-six states logged some biomass electricity generation in 2010. here are the five leaders —

1) california — 6. 3 million mwh

2) florida — 4. 4 million mwh

3) maine — 4.0 million mwh

4) georgia — 3.1 million mwh

5) alabama — 3.0 million mwh

Geothermal — 0.4 percent
of U.S. electricity generation

•;Total;generation:;15. 7;million;MWh •;New;2010;generation:

660,000 mwh
the united states is the world
leader in geothermal electricity pro-
duction. the industry is now expand-
ing its focus beyond the conventional
resources near tectonic plate bound-
aries in the west. three american cities
(Boise, idaho; Klamath falls, ore.; and
Pagosa springs, colo.) have municipal
geothermal heating districts. all have
planned systems expansions.

geothermal capacity gre w less than 1;percent;last;year,;from;3,087;MW;to 3,102 mw. But 146 projects in 15 different states are currently in some stage of development, according to the geothermal energy association.