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Gas shows its staying power as United States wind output drops: Maguire

Power manufacturers in the United States are becoming increasingly reliant on natural gas for generation, even as the country builds out renewable energy capacity at a record pace.

Renewable energy sources have been getting a progressively growing share of the power mix for many years, which has actually enabled power firms to cut coal-fired power and decrease emissions.

However due to the volatile nature of renewable energy streams, power companies require to increase the use of natural gas within power systems and remain heavily depending on gas whenever renewable energy products drop off.

That high gas reliance was highlighted again this month as wind generation plunged simply as overall power usage climbed due to high temperatures and strong need for cooling.

ON THE HOOK

Power firms must guarantee supply fulfills demand by adjusting fuel blends as needed, and this month they needed to offset a. steep drop in output from wind farms while likewise accommodating a. climb in total power demand due to higher use of cooling. systems throughout much of the nation.

From July 1 to July 23, power generation from U.S. wind. farms stopped by 78% from 57,274 megawatt hours (MWh) to 12,608. MWh, information from LSEG programs.

Wind generation levels often slump during the summer season due to. lower wind speeds at turbine level, however on July 23 the. production levels were the lowest for that date in more than. least three years.

To balance out such a notable dip in tidy power supply, power. companies increased natural gas-fired generation by 27% over the same. period, from 217,617 MWh on July 1 to 276,453 MWh on July 23,. according to LSEG.

This high climb in gas-fired generation pressed natural. gas's share of the national power generation mix to 46.3% so far. in July, from an average of 40% for the opening half of 2024.

But the greater gas-fired output also assisted raise overall. generation levels by 3.4% on July 23 from July 1, making sure the. nationwide power system was able to satisfy raised demand needs.

CRUCIAL POWER PILLAR

The capability of gas to quickly plug supply. deficiencies from other sources means the fuel will stay a. important pillar of the U.S. power system for years to come,. despite continued quick growth in renewable energy sources.

Natural gas supplied simply over 42% of U.S. electricity in. 2023, according to energy think tank Cinder.

That was by far the largest single source of power in the. nation and compared to 15.61% from combined wind and solar. sources, 16% from coal plants, 18.25% from nuclear plants and. around 6% from hydro dams.

With power companies committed to reducing emissions, renewables. look set to grow their share of the nationwide generation mix. while coal's share will decrease even more.

But gas will remain the primary fuel source in a. majority of crucial power systems across the U.S., and will likely. continue to expand its share of the overall generation pie. before being slowly lowered in generation systems over the. coming decades. << The viewpoints expressed here are those of the author, a. writer .>

(source: Reuters)