Renewable energy consumption surpasses nuclear

Consumption of energy produced from renewable resources surpassed its nuclear counterpart for the first time as nuclear outages coincided with the high-water season for hydropower generation, according to the US Energy Information Administration. In March, renewables had reached 795tnBtu while nuclear power delivered 687tnBtu, a trend that continued in April when figures stood at 798tnBtu and 571tnBtu, respectively.

Record-breaking snowfall in the west of the US led to hydropower plants running at full tilt for longer than usual. Simultaneously, many nuclear plants were shut down for regular maintenance and refueling, which typically takes place in spring and winter.

However, the agency also noted a long-term upward trend in renewables due to higher biofuels consumption and added wind capacity.

It must be noted that this trend applies to energy rather than electricity, where renewables are still below nuclear power generation. Nevertheless if trends continue, renewables are expected to surpass nuclear power in this area as well over the next few years.