Words by Smiley Team
US sustainable energy has reached an all-time high and is growing – that's according to a recent report released by the US Energy Information Administration.
Driven by strong solar and wind power growth, electrical generation by renewable energy sources accounted for 21.02% of total U.S. electrical generation in 2021, exceeding EIA forecasts. Some energy production shrunk, like hydroelectric, but was offset by other areas of growth, according to the SUN DAY Campaign.
“The continued expansion of renewable energy's share of US energy production and consumption is encouraging,” SUN DAY Campaign's executive director Ken Bossong said. “However, EIA's latest data provide a clear warning that the pace of that growth must accelerate rapidly if we are to avoid the worst consequences of climate change.”
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The SUN DAY Campaign is a non-profit research and educational organization that works to help speed up the shift to a more sustainable energy system with the goal of eventually becoming 100% sustainable.
Wind energy is now the largest sector of US renewable energy making up 27% of the share while solar is fifth at 12% but is the fastest growing up 23% from the previous year. US renewable energy in 2021 also surpassed that of coal by 6.54%.
“2021 was a good year for solar and wind notwithstanding headwinds such as the Covid pandemic and disruptions in global supply chains,” said Ken. “Together with other renewable energy sources, they built on their growing lead over nuclear power, will likely overtake coal in 2022, and continue to cut into natural gas's current dominance.”
According to a report released by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, renewables also now provide nearly 25% of the United States generating capacity, up 2% from the previous year.
SUPPORT: Check out SunWork. A non-profit that has made it its goal to make renewable energy economically viable for those that wouldn’t have been able to afford it in the past.
DONATE: You can donate to Vote Solar, a non-profit pushing 100% renewable energy backed by solar power.
