According to a review by the Sun Day Campaign of data just released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), renewable energy sources (i.e., biomass, geothermal, hydropower, solar, wind) provided almost a quarter of the nation's electrical generation during the first two-thirds of 2022.
The latest issue of EIA's "Electric Power Monthly" report (with data through August 31, 2022) reveals that in the first eight months of 2022, renewable energy sources (including small-scale solar systems) increased their electrical output by 17.5% compared to the same period a year earlier. Year-to-date, renewables have provided 23.3% of total U.S. electrical. For the eight-month period, electrical generation by wind increased by 22.0% and provided 10.0% of total electrical generation. Meanwhile, solar sources grew by 26.9% and provided 5.0% of the nation's electrical output. In addition, generation by hydropower increased 10.5% and accounted for 6.7% of the total. Geothermal also grew by 0.7% while electrical generation attributed to the combination of wood and other biomass dropped by 2.1%. Taken together, during the first two-thirds of 2022, renewable energy sources out-produced both coal and nuclear power by 17.9% and 32.3% respectively.
