# Portugal runs for four days straight on renewables: US anywhere close? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 18, 2016, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/portugal-runs-for-four-days-straight-on-renewables-us-anywhere-close/755115 "2016-05-18T20:24:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2016, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/portugal-runs-for-four-days-straight-on-renewables-us-anywhere-close/755115/21 "2016-05-19T16:50:20Z")
For instance, Washington State could certainly do the same thing, the majority of our electricity comes from hydroelectric. But while hydro plus wind could probably cover all of Washington, we’re just a small part of the US and most parts of the US don’t have untapped hydro potential they could bring online. The point is some regions have features that make them particularly suited for renewable energy. That some of these places are small countries and others are subnational doesn’t mean anything, engineering-wise. ---
**Author:** ![up\_the\_junction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f1d935/32.png) [@up\_the\_junction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/up_the_junction)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2016, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/portugal-runs-for-four-days-straight-on-renewables-us-anywhere-close/755115/22 "2016-05-19T19:08:04Z")
Wikipedia is quite encouraging on solar in the US. Plus this is interesting: > [@](#): > > Governor Jerry Brown has signed legislation requiring California’s utilities to obtain 33 percent of their electricity from renewable energy sources by the end of 2020 : > **[Solar power in the United States](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power_in_the_United_States)** > > Solar power includes solar farms as well as local distributed generation, mostly on rooftops and increasingly from community solar arrays. In 2023, utility-scale solar power generated 164.5 terawatt-hours (TWh), or 3.9% of electricity in the United States. Total solar generation that year, including estimated small-scale photovoltaic generation, was 238 TWh. > As of the end of 2023, the United States had 179 gigawatts (GW) of installed photovoltaic (utility and small scale) and concentrated s... ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2016, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/portugal-runs-for-four-days-straight-on-renewables-us-anywhere-close/755115/23 "2016-05-19T20:50:23Z")
> [@up\_the\_junction](#): > > Wikipedia is quite encouraging on solar in the US. [Other sources](http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2014/07/five_fatal_flaws_of_solar_energy.html)are less so. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![up\_the\_junction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f1d935/32.png) [@up\_the\_junction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/up_the_junction)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2016, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/portugal-runs-for-four-days-straight-on-renewables-us-anywhere-close/755115/24 "2016-05-19T21:07:00Z")
(a) that was 2 years ago and (b) who is ‘Viv Forbes’? Oh yeah: > [@](#): > > Viv Forbes is the Chairman of the Carbon Sense Coalition, which was created to **“defend the role of carbon on earth and in the atmosphere,”** > > Forbes has also had a long association with the coal industry. According to his biography at Stanmore Coal where he acts as director, Forbes has over 40 years of coal industry experience and has worked with Burton Coal, Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal, South Blackwater Coal Mine, Tahmoor Coal Mine, Newlands/Collinsville Coal Mines, MIM, Utah Goonyella/Saraji and Gold Fields. Fantastic source. > **[Viv Forbes](https://www.desmog.com/viv-forbes/)** > > Viv Forbes Credentials Degree in Applied Science Geology, and Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. Background Viv Forbes is the chairman of the Carbon Sense Coalition, which was created to “defend the role of carbon on... [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/portugal-runs-for-four-days-straight-on-renewables-us-anywhere-close/755115.md?page=1)