Electricity
Electricity Monthly Update
With Data for November 2012 | Release Date: Jan. 23, 2013 | Next Release Date: Feb. 25, 2013
Previous Issues
Highlights: November 2012
- Coal-fired generation in the United States increased 6.2 percent compared to November 2011. This was the first year-over-year increase since coal-fired generation increased 0.5 percent from December 2009 to December 2010.
- In November 2012, net generation in the United States increased 0.5 percent compared to November 2011. Except for the northeast, all regions of the country experienced an increase in natural gas-fired generation.
- November is the normal time of the year when nuclear units go offline for maintenance. During this November, many more nuclear units went offline for maintenance compared to November 2011 and as a result, electricity generation from nuclear units decreased in almost all parts of the U.S.
Key Indicators
| November 2012 | % Change from November 2011 | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Net Generation (Thousand MWh) |
305,548 | 0.5% |
| Residential Retail Price (cents/kWh) |
11.74 | -0.3% |
| Retail Sales (Thousand MWh) |
279,178 | 1.4% |
| Heating Degree-Days | 540 | 15.1% |
| Natural Gas Price, Henry Hub ($/MMBtu) |
3.63 | 9.3% |
| Coal Stocks (Thousand Tons) |
186,633 | 11.3% |
| Coal Consumption (Thousand Tons) |
69,977 | 4.4% |
| Natural Gas Consumption (Mcf) |
608,543 | 7.1% |
| Nuclear Outages (MW) |
26,006 | 94.2% |
PV solar dominates retail electricity net-metering
State retail electricity net-metering policies encourage individuals or businesses to install small, onsite generators (such as rooftop solar systems), to produce their own electricity. Net-metered customers sell back to their utility power they generate in excess of their own demand at a rate typically equivalent to their retail rate for electricity. Nationally, there were 2,688 MW of total capacity and 225,578 customers participating in net-metering programs in 2011. Photovoltaic (PV) solar technology dominates with capacity of 2,495 MW (93%) and 219,018 customers (97%).
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Annual Electric Power Industry Report (Form EIA-861).
Not surprisingly, residential customers account for most of the net-metered installations. Differences in the average size of installations between residential and commercial and industrial customers explain why residential customers represent only 39% of the total net-metered capacity but 90% of the number of customers. The residential sector had an average size of 5 kilowatts (kW) per installation and the non-residential sector had an average size of 74 kW. These data are limited to installations with capacity of 2 megawatts or less.
Every state plus the District of Columbia reported net-metered customers in 2011. These customers were reported by 772 entities (investor-owned utilities, municipalities and cooperatives). However, the number of installations varied significantly by state. Five states accounted for nearly three-quarters of the capacity and customers, with California being the clear leader in both categories.
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Annual Electric Power Industry Report (Form EIA-861).
Electricity consumers are participating in net-metering programs in growing numbers. Between 2003 and 2010, the average annual growth in customer participation was 56%. PV solar capacity in 2011 increased by 71% from 2010 as the number of customers rose by 45%.
State policies and technological developments have been the main factors in the increased participation rates. While advances in the PV market are driving the pay-back period (the time is takes to recover the initial investment) down for everyone, it is individual state policies that cause the large differences in net-metering rates per state. These policies include Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS), tax incentives, rebates or low-interest loans.
New Jersey is an example of how supportive policies can foster strong growth in net-metering programs. The State has a strong RPS requirement, which was made stronger in 2012 by requiring 22.5% of the energy sold in the state to come from renewable sources, by May 2021. The new law specifically requires 4.1% of the energy to come from solar by May 2028.
Another key factor in New Jersey's large growth in capacity is the Solar Renewable Energy Certificate (SREC). When your solar panels produce 1000 kilowatt-hours of electricity, you earn an SREC. One SREC can be worth hundreds of dollars a year. In New Jersey, a 5 kW solar system can produce about 5 SREC a year.
For a complete list of incentives, capacity limits and fuel and technology types, go to the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE). This site provides details on each State's net-metering policies.
Principal Contributor: Marc Harnish
(marc.harnish@eia.gov)