Why 2018 will be a make or break year for renewables
未来一年将创造或打破美国可再生能源市场，为国家和区域政府针对特朗普管理计划，以结束该国的电力市场竞争和补贴老燃煤电厂和核电厂捍卫自己的21世纪的政策。
Wind and solar power are booming in the United States — and around the world — thanks to low prices, technology improvements, government policies that favor clean energy and energy security and growing demand from businesses, consumers and local governments. The increase in cheap renewables and natural gas power has led to a shift away from expensive coal and nuclear power.
In an attempt to turn back the tide, Energy Secretary Rick Perryproposed在9月联邦监管机构改变国家的电力市场规则要求对煤炭和核能电厂特别付款。It is unclear what action, if any, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will take, particularly in light of intense opposition to the proposal by the nation’s grid operators, several state regulators, the renewable energy industry, the oil and gas industry and other industry, consumer and environmental groups.
共和党的减税计划最初的目标风和电动汽车行业的去除联邦财政奖励。最终的立法叶子单独的主要的可再生能源的政策，不同的是它改变了国际企业的税收制度的方式，可以去除诱因，这些公司早些时候曾投资于可再生能源。
太阳能产业是没有脱离险境，但。总裁唐纳德·特朗普计划在未来几周内决定是否对进口太阳能电池板和电池，这将抬高太阳能发电的价格，有可能导致需求降低关税。两个美国太阳能电池板的工厂，由Suniva公司和SolarWorld公司所有，要求当局关税征收来自亚洲和墨西哥的战斗廉价的进口产品，该工厂要求把他们破产。
国家政策和激励措施,支持可再生能源s and new technologies, such as batteries and other storage devices, smart power inverters and real-time energy management systems that use machine learning, are driving greater adoption of renewables. So is a desire by an ever-growing number of businesses, cities and institutions to buy renewables and get off dirty energy. If hurdles in Washington succeed, it could hold back renewable energy growth in the U.S., the second-largest energy user in the world. But if state governments, grid operators, industry groups and renewable energy supporters succeed in beating back encroachments of the solar and wind markets, they are likely to continue growing.
二十九个国家可再生能源发电的任务，八个更多的国家可再生能源目标，根据北卡罗莱纳州的清洁能源技术中心. The District of Columbia, home of the nation’s capital, has a mandate to use renewables for half its power use by 2032.
从全球来看，太阳能，风能等可再生能源的发展很可能会通过2022增加一倍以上，从2017年到1174万千瓦的容量，相比前五年，根据October forecast国际能源机构（IEA）。可再生能源将在2022年提供全球发电的30％，从目前的24％。可再生能源的兴起压低在美国，中国和全球对煤炭的需求。国际能源署（IEA）预测，全球能源结构中煤炭的比重will fall to 26 percent in 2022, from 27 percent currently.
Renewables supplied 18 percent of U.S. power generation in 2017 through October, up from 15.2 percent during the same period in 2016, according to data from the能源部.Globally, solar, wind and other renewable power development is likely to more than double from 2017 through 2022, to 1,174 gigawatts.
在加利福尼亚州，公用事业利用太阳能，风能和他们在2017年销售的功率的30％其他可再生能源，而这一比例将增长到国家销售的所有权力的一半，到2030年纽约目前使用可再生能源for 23 percent of the state’s supply, and that share also is slated to expand to one-half by 2030, according to the state. Wind farms supply more than 15 percent of power generated in Texas, and that share is likely to grow following the planned closure of three aging coal plants operated by Vistra Energy.
"Renewable energy is not an alternative technology; it is now the dominant source of new generation capacity," said Scott Jacobs, chief executive and co-founder of clean-energy investment firm Generate Capital. "The single thing that will continue to drive renewable energy forward as well as other clean technologies is the compelling value proposition that they offer customers."
对可再生能源和更昂贵的煤炭和核能发电厂远趋势在其他地区打出来。在加利福尼亚州，太平洋天然气和电力公司计划关闭代阿布洛峡谷核电站在2025年，在很大程度上是由于相比于可再生能源和天然气植物工厂的成本高。可再生能源是不是一种替代技术;现在的新发电能力的主要来源。
“核和燃煤发电设施是一种已经灭绝时代的遗产，”加州公用事业委员会官员11月份提交给美国联邦能源监管委员会的意见中写道。“他们中的许多正在退休，因为他们对新兴技术的竞争过于昂贵，他们的支持者声称不提供可靠性和弹性。”
U.S. nuclear power plants rely on foreign sources for 89 percent of the uranium they need for fuel, and the plants easily can be disabled during a disaster, such as the 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami that caused a disaster at the Fukushima Daichi nuclear plant, the CPUC officials added.
California also is working to wean itself off natural gas. Utilities are increasingly turning to batteries to store extra power needed when demand is high, rather than rely on conventional natural gas-fired peaker plants.核和燃煤发电设施是一种已经灭绝时代的遗产。
Other states are gearing up for more renewables as well. New York, Massachusetts and seven other Northeast states agreed in December to切电厂排放由至少30％的by 2030. The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which allows power plant operators in the states to buy and sell pollution permits, has led to a 40 percent reduction in power plant emissions since 2005. Switching to renewables is a key strategy to cut emissions.
国防部美国能源部仍然是一个主要的清洁能源的消费，因为它旨在利用可再生能源的五分之一电源的所有武装力量。美国军事设施在2016年有超过1600个可再生能源项目，其中包括近1000个太阳能电池板阵列，根据report.New York, Massachusetts and seven other Northeast states will cut power plant emissions by at least 30 percent by 2030.
