Renewables 2025

[furrowtickler]

Replace three systems (wind , solar , coal) with Nuclear… be cheaper long run and more environmentally friendly by a long shot

[shtferbrains]

Best way to take advantage of the geographical gift Texas has would be to move there?
They have everything you want.
Lots of wind and it gets up to 120 degrees in the summer.

Don't let the door hit you in the ass on your way out.

[Hamloc]

In Republican Texas and update for 2025

By late 2025, Texas's renewable energy share (primarily wind and solar) was around
36-40% of its electricity generation, with estimates suggesting it hit 28% for the full year, as the state rapidly expanded solar and battery storage, becoming a leading US renewable energy developer. This growth significantly increased renewables' role on the grid, with solar even briefly surpassing coal in generation for a period, according to recent data.


Key Figures & Trends for Texas in 2025:

• Overall Share: Wind and solar combined met nearly 36% (through September) to 40% (through June) of ERCOT's (Texas grid) demand, notes Inside Climate News ([url]https://insideclimatenews.org/news/01112025/texas-grid-increasingly-meets-growing-demand-with-renewables/[/url]) and U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) (.gov) ([url]https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=66464[/url]).
• Solar's Rise: Solar farms captured a record 14% of the ERCOT generation mix from January to November, exceeding coal's 13% share, reports Reuters ([url]https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/texas-makes-clean-power-breakthrough-solar-output-overtakes-coal-2025-12-09/[/url]).
• Capacity Growth: Texas led the nation in adding new renewable and battery storage capacity, installing far more than California in 2024, according to this YouTube video ([url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZIE-78UZS0[/url]) and the Advanced Power Alliance ([url]https://poweralliance.org/2025/01/09/texas-tops-us-states-for-renewable-energy-and-battery-capacity/[/url]).

?

I am not sure what the political leanings of Texas has to do with the utilization of abundant wind and solar resources. If you compare photovoltaic potential between central Alberta and Texas, in central Alberta you can theoretically produce 1300 kwh of electricity per year per installed kwh of solar panels. In Texas this ranges from 1700 to 1900. That translates to a 30% to 45% more efficient electricity production from the same solar panel.

[chuckChuck]

Still our dry prairie climate is good for solar. But wind is the biggest share of renewables in ND and TX.

My solar panels still producing over 35000 kwh per year. Just checked the production yesterday.

That covers our average annual usage that means we pay very little for electricity.

[Hamloc]

Still our dry prairie climate is good for solar. But wind is the biggest share of renewables in ND and TX.

My solar panels still producing over 35000 kwh per year. Just checked the production yesterday.

That covers our average annual usage that means we pay very little for electricity.

I am sure that your subsidized solar panel installation works well for you but in reality how does it really benefit the whole system? Did you or SaskPower pay for your bi-directional meter? Do your panels actually increase the electrical generation capacity of the grid? No they don’t, because whatever kwh of solar generation that is added to the grid must be backed up by another dependable not intermittent source of generation. In Alberta when solar and wind aren’t producing natural gas generation is used to fill the deficit. These natural gas plants have to charge more for the power they generate to compensate for the reduced utilization due to the employment of intermittent sources like wind and solar. According to Ember(a U.K. based climate think tank), to produce 1 kwh of dependable electricity from solar you would need 5 kwh of solar panels backed up by 17 kwh of batteries. This would produce this 1 kwh of electricity 97% of the time in Las Vegas, 62% of the time in Birmingham, England. Costing out this type of an installation compared to say natural gas would give a more realistic comparison of the actual cost of solar generation. Or you could cost out a solar field and an equally sized natural gas plant as one production unit, this would also be more realistic. Costing solar on its own, is not realistic, with a capacity factor of 20% for Alberta, solar electricity isn’t available much of the time.

[chuckChuck]

35000 kwh of additional capacity in my grid tied system. If I don't use it all some one else does. So it does increase capacity.

Australia has so much low cost renewable electricity mostly solar they currently get 3 hours for free every day.

There are 4 million roof top solar installations and batteries are being installed at a significant rate.

Australia has a climate a lot like the SW USA including Texas. Lots of capacity for more solar.

[Grain Farmer]

About right.

[Hamloc]

[QUOTE=chuckChuck;n828282]35000 kwh of additional capacity in my grid tied system. If I don't use it all some one else does. So it does increase capacity.

35000 kwh for the year. Only available when the sun shines.

I have a neighbour that when he built about 15 years ago went off grid. Where his house was located it was expensive to bring in power. He has solar panels on his roof, batteries for storage and a gas powered generator for periods he runs out of power. A small example of what is required to make a 365 day a year electrical generation system with solar.

So yes while the sun shines solar panels add generation. But really it is a mirage because once the sun goes down an equivalent sized generation system must take over, solar by itself is not a stand alone production resource. Stating that solar is the cheapest form of new electricity generation is really false because you are only costing part of the total system. At our latitude a total system requires solar panels, battery storage and a natural gas generator to fill the gaps.

[chuckChuck]

Everybody already knows that solar and wind are intermittent! But they still produce a lot of low cost electricity in North Dakota and Texas!

How many times do I have to remind you Hamloc you can have both renewables and backup? LOL

A lot of the demand occurs during work hours in southern states when AC systems are running which is well matched to solar production.

What is wrong in using the sun to supply a lot this demand?

Solar electricity is so cheap and plentiful in Australia they are giving it away for 3 hours per day.

Demand is increasing, storage systems are being built along with more EVs which also store electricity for later use.

China and many other countries are driving a revolution in renewable electricity and EVs that is changing the world.

[fjlip]

"you can have both renewables and backup"

Cost is doubled, complicated, bought from China, backup can do it alone...plain dumb thinking