A review by the Sun Day Campaign of newly released data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) confirms that wind and solar energy continued to expand in 2024, with overall renewable electricity generation increasing by nearly 10% and providing almost a quarter of the nation’s total electricity output.
The electrical output of U.S. wind farms in 2024 was 7.7% higher than in 2023. Wind remained the largest renewable energy source, accounting for 10.3% of total U.S. electricity generation.
The combination of wind and solar contributed more than 17.2% of the nation’s electrical generation in 2024.
Solar continued to be the fastest-growing source of electricity. According to EIA’s latest Electric Power Monthly report (with data through December 31, 2024), the total output from utility-scale and estimated small-scale (e.g., rooftop) solar increased by 26.9% compared to 2023.
Utility-scale solar thermal and photovoltaic generation grew by 32.0%, while small-scale solar photovoltaic expanded by 15.3%. Together, solar accounted for nearly 7.0% (6.91%) of total U.S. electricity generation.
The total contribution from all renewable energy sources—including wind, solar, hydropower, biomass, and geothermal—rose to 24.2% of U.S. electricity generation in 2024, up from 23.2% the previous year.
Between January and December, renewable electricity generation increased by 9.6% compared to 2023—nearly three times the growth rate of natural gas (3.3%) and over ten times that of nuclear power (0.9%).
