A new report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) shows that for the first time ever, the percentage of electricity generated by renewables in the U.S. beat the percentage of electricity generated by coal.
The percentage of electricity generated from solar, wind, biomass, hydroelectric, and geothermal was 21 percent in 2022. Coal was 20 percent of all production in 2022, down from 23 percent in 2021. Natural gas is still the highest fuel for electricity generation, and its percentage grew from 37 percent in 2021 to 39 percent in 2022.
According to EIA data, wind and solar combined generation increased from 12 percent of electricity produced in 2021 to 14 percent in 2022. Rooftop solar generation increased from 61 GW in 2021 to 71 GW in 2022. Wind capacity grew from 133 GW in 2021 to 141 GW in 2022. The agency says these increases in solar and wind capacity are what drove the overall growth in renewables, according to Grist.
Texas, Oklahoma, and Iowa lead the country in wind generation, while California is first in solar.
For 2023, EIA is forecasting continued growth in renewables, while coal is expected to drop another few percentage points. Natural gas is forecast to remain unchanged.
Greg Zimmerman is senior contributing editor for FacilitiesNet.com and Building Operating Management magazine.
