Guest “Book’em, Danno!” by David Middleton
9 US cities now produce more solar energy than the entire US did 10 years ago
Ben Adler · Senior Editor
Autumn, April 21, 2022A new study shows that US rooftop solar is growing at an astounding rate, with solar capacity increasing by 19% by 2021.
The US currently has 121.4 gigawatts of solar photovoltaic capacity, enough to power 23 million homes, up from 0.34 gigawatts in 2008according to the Department of Energy.
[…]
“The amount of solar power installed in just nine US cities exceeds the amount installed in the entire US 10 years ago,” report, titled “Cities that Shine 2022,” find. In fact, 15 of the 56 cities included in the study have increased their solar capacity tenfold since 2014.
[…]
Ben Adler is the Senior Climate Editor at Yahoo! News. He has a bachelor’s degree in government. Aside from not really being able to edit the climate, Mr. Adler also doesn’t seem to grasp some simple concepts:
- Cities do not produce solar energy, the Sun does. Solar panels convert it into electricity.
- Installed capacity is not generation.
- The EIA link is cited put capacity at 97.2 GW, not 121.4 GW.
- The most recent 2020 Electricity Annual Report, last published, puts solar PV at 73.9 GW (75.6 if you count solar thermal), including installations small tissue.
- Solar energy on the roof only accounts for about 1/3
121.497.275.6 GW of solar photovoltaic capacity. - 121.4 GW of solar photovoltaic capacity will be “enough to power 23 million homes” for 6-8 hours a day, when the Sun is shining.
Let’s assume that the above 9 US cities now have more solar capacity than the entire US did 10 years ago… So what? As of 2019, three states (TX + FL + CA) have more natural gas generating capacity than the total current US solar capacity.
Based on US Energy Information Administration (EIA) generator annual survey, natural gas-fired generators accounted for 43% of active U.S. generating capacity in 2019. These natural gas-powered generators provided 39% of electricity production in 2019, more than any other source. Most of the natural gas burning capacity added in recent decades uses combined cycle technology, surpass coal-fired generators in 2018 become the technology with the most electricity generating capacity in the United States.
Competence vs. Generation
Generator capacity: Maximum power, usually expressed in megawatts (MW), that the generating equipment can supply to the system load, adjusted for ambient conditions.
Generator nameplate capacity (installed): Maximum rated power of a generator, main engine or other electrical energy producing device under specific conditions specified by the manufacturer. The capacity on the installed generator nameplate is usually expressed in megawatts (MW) and is usually indicated on the nameplate physically attached to the generator.
Actual power output, usually expressed in megawatt-hours (MWh), is the actual power output that generating equipment puts on the grid. This varies widely according to the generation source. Nuclear power plants require very little downtime and regularly deliver 95% of their rated capacity. Coal-fired and combined-cycle natural gas power plants can theoretically provide 80-90% of rated capacity, but typically only 40-50% as they respond to demand and economics. . They rise and fall to meet demand. They also react to natural gas prices. Higher natural gas prices reduce the use of natural gas and increase the use of coal. Wind and solar power only feeds electricity to the grid when wind and Sun cooperate. Wind usually ranges from 20-40% of rated capacity. Solar energy is generally in the 20-30% range.
Using data from BP’s 2021 statistical assessment of world energy and EIA Annual Electricity in 2020we can see that, nationally, solar has actually fallen below 20%.
| Year 2020 | Oil | Nature Air | Coal | Nuclear energy | Solar PV |
| Gigawatt-hour (GWh) | 18,812 | 1,738,439 | 844,072 | 831,493 | 108,000 won |
| Gigawatts (GW) | 27.57 | 485.81 | 215.55 | 96.50 | 73.89 |
| Performance factor | 7.8% | 40.7% | 44.6% | 98.1% | 16.6% |
I did not include wind, as it is not related to this post. I have included petroleum, as it is relevant to the next part of this post.
“Superstar Sun”
In your Yahoo! The article, Mr. Adler referenced this report: Cities that Shine 2022, Top US Cities for Solar. Oddly enough, the report doesn’t seem to mention actual power generation and only focuses on capacity. The report highlights a group of cities they call “Solar Superstars”.
Some of these cities make a lot of sense: Las Vegas, San Diego, Phoenix, etc. It is not uncommon for solar PV installations in these places to realize a 40% capacity factor during the summer. . However, the superstar of superstars, Honolulu HI, made me feel “funny.”
Fast facts about Hawaii
- Hawaii was the first state to introduce a deadline for 100% of its electricity sales to come from renewables, which must be achieved by 2045. In 2020, the state’s electricity suppliers have met the temporary requirement. 30% of electricity sales come from renewable energy.
- Despite being among the five states with the lowest total energy consumption, Hawaii uses about 12 times more energy than it produces. More than four-fifths of Hawaii’s energy consumption is oil, making it the most oil-dependent state.
- In 2020, solar power provides nearly 17% of Hawaii’s total electricity, primarily from increased production from small-scale, customer-facing solar panel systems. almost doubled since 2015.
- In 2020, Hawaii’s coal-fired power generation is the lowest since 1992, and coal provides 11% of the state’s electricity. The state’s only coal-fired power plant is scheduled to close in 2022.
- Hawaii has the highest retail price of electricity of any state and is almost three times the US average, in part because the state relies on imported gasoline to generate 60 percent of its electricity.
Last updated: February 17, 2022
Solar might actually make sense for Hawaii… But…
“In 2020, state electricity suppliers have met the interim requirement that 30% of electricity sales come from renewables…”
January 2022
| Generation source | Thousand MW | % Total |
| Burning from oil | 540 | 77% |
| Coal burning | sixty one | 9% |
| Non-hydroelectric renewable energy | 103 | 15% |
| Total | 704 | 100% |
In 2020, the state’s electricity suppliers have met the temporary requirement that 30% of electricity sales come from renewables.
What has happened since 2020? Or is January just a bad month for solar? There is no accessible data on rooftop solar performance in the Honolulu area, but utility-scale solar data is easily accessible. Let’s take a look at one of the larger establishments in the area:
Factory Name: Waipio Solar
Plant code: 60024
Utility name: Waipio PV, LLC
Utility ID: 59764
City: Waipio
County: Honolulu
State: Hawaii
Sector: IPP Non-CHP
Technology: Solar photovoltaic
Data interval: 202108
Main fuel: solar energy
Total nameplate capacity: 45.9 MW
Total summer net capacity: 45.9 MW
Summer Net Capacity by Energy Source: Sun = 45.9 MW
Waipio Solar has a summer net capacity of 45.9 MW. It is located in the best solar power area in Oahu:
However, Waipio’s average annual capacity factor is only 20%, with winter being the worst windy season.
That said, Hawaii has little choice when it comes to electricity. Oil, natural gas and coal are all imported. Although they have significant geothermal resources, the only geothermal power plant is operating on the Big Island and provides about 30% of Hawaii’s electricity:
The island of Hawaii bought 38 MW of electricity from the Puna Geothermal Venture plant. PGV already has a license that allows the company to expand by 22 MW in the future at the current site. Learn more about Puna Geothermal Joint Venture.
Possible sources of geothermal energy may exist in Western Hawaii and on the island of Maui.
There are no identified geothermal resources on Oahu that can be mined for electricity.
Hawaii has an abundance of wind resources and really pioneered wind energy in the 1980s…
Hawaii Electric’s pioneering wind energy development
The main reason for founding Hawaiian Electric’s parent company, HEI, in the early 1980s was to develop wind energy. HEI has invested more than $25 million through a non-regulatory subsidiary to develop a 9 MW wind farm in Kahuku. HEI invested an additional $7 million in a 3.2 MW wind turbine at the same site – 360 ft. MOD-5-B – then the largest horizontal axis wind turbine in the world. The Kahuku Wind Farm experienced more turbulent winds than expected and mechanical problems with the first generation turbines, resulting in low energy production. In addition, the sharp drop in oil prices makes wind farms too expensive to operate. It was later sold to New World Power and has since been closed and the turbines scrapped, but the operations provide useful research information.
In the mid-1980s, Maui Electric hosted a 340 kW wind turbine demonstration unit for several years at its Maalaea facility. Maui Electric then purchased the wind turbine and operated it for the rest of its life.
However, onshore wind projects have faced considerable objection and important offshore wind projects are many years on the road… So it looks like Hawaii will be mostly stuck with imported gasoline and intermittent solar for the foreseeable future.
Conclude
Regardless of how many US cities become “solar superstars”, oil and natural gas will continue to drive the @$$ value of solar energy into the future.
Is there another way to end a post about Hawaii other than Steve McGarrett’s classic line from Hawaii Five-O?
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