According to an analysis by the Sun Day Campaign, new reports released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) all point to the same conclusion: renewable energy sources, led by solar and wind, continue to rapidly expand their share of the nation's energy production and electricity generation.
During the first third of 2022, renewable energy sources (i.e., biofuels, biomass, geothermal, hydropower, solar, wind) accounted for 13.82% of total U.S. energy production for electricity, transportation, heating, feedstocks, and other needs compared to 12.85% a year earlier. Renewable energy output for the first four months of 2022 was 14.03% higher than for the same period in 2021. Renewables also accounted for 13.14% of domestic energy consumption up from 12.21% a year earlier. The use of solar energy rose by 27.57% while that of wind increased by 24.25%. Consumption of biofuels expanded by 9.74%. For the first five months of 2022, solar, wind, and other renewable energy sources provided 25.7% of U.S. electricity – more than either coal or nuclear power and up from 22.9% a year earlier. Solar and wind increased by 27.2% and 24.4% respectively while hydropower expanded by 9.0% and geothermal grew by 1.4%. Biomass and wood dropped by 4.16%. In May alone, electrical generation by renewable sources increased by 16.61% compared to May 2021 and accounted for 26.58% of total generation compared to 24.61% a year earlier.
