In recent years, clean and renewable energy has begun to gain major traction globally with world leaders vowing to reduce carbon emissions and invest for a sustainable future in response to global warming.
According to a report published by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the United States in 2020 set a new record with 834 billion kilowatt-hours of renewable energy (wind, hydroelectric, solar, biomass, geothermal) generated. This accounts for roughly 21% of all the electricity generated in the United States.
In total, U.S. renewable energy generation in 2020 increased by 9%. Wind, which is the most used renewable electricity in the U.S., saw a growth of 14%. Utility-scale solar generation increased a whopping 26%, and small-scale solar such as residential rooftop solar panels increased by 19%. Meanwhile, the use of coal declined by 20%.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration predicts that renewable energy generation in the U.S. will increase by 7% in 2021 and 10% in 2022.
