Ramping Renewables

The US experienced a nearly four-fold increase in electricity from wind and solar between 2007 and 2012, with nine states already generating 10 percent or more of their power from these sources. The document asserts that current grid tools can handle higher percentages of variable renewable energy and that a combination of wind, solar, geothermal, biomass, and hydropower could supply 80 percent of US electricity by 2050, with wind and solar alone contributing 50 percent.

• Between 2007 and 2012, the volume of electricity generated from wind and solar power in the United States grew by nearly four times. Nine specific states have reached a threshold where wind and solar provide at least 10 percent of their electricity: Iowa (24%), South Dakota (24%), North Dakota (15%), Minnesota (14%), Colorado (12%), Kansas (11%), Idaho (11%), Oklahoma (11%), and Oregon (10%).
• By 2050, renewable energy technologies—including wind, solar, geothermal, biomass, and hydropower—could provide 80 percent of US electricity and meet demand every hour of the year across all regions. This scenario would involve wind and solar alone generating 50 percent of the electricity, a goal that the document states does not present insurmountable technical problems or significant costs.
• Existing electricity grid operators possess the tools necessary to manage the variability of wind and solar power and can accommodate a significantly higher percentage of electricity from these renewable sources.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2013). Ramping Renewables. https://www.ucs.org/resources/ramping-renewables

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Ramping Renewables. 2013. https://www.ucs.org/resources/ramping-renewables.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Ramping Renewables |date=8 April 2013 |url=https://www.ucs.org/resources/ramping-renewables |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2013ramping, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Ramping Renewables}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2013}, month = apr, url = {https://www.ucs.org/resources/ramping-renewables}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }