Last year the U.S. produced three times as much renewable electricity from solar and wind sources than it did around a decade before, according to research released Thursday by Environment America Research & Policy Center and Frontier Group.
This research, which has been compiled into the online “Renewables on the Rise” dashboard, shows that “seven states now produce enough electricity from wind, solar and geothermal energy to cover half of their electricity consumption.”
Back in 2016, no states met that threshold, Environment America Research said. Findings from the group also show that 10 states have committed to obtaining all of their electricity from “clean” sources such as solar and wind “over the next several decades.” These states accounted for 22% of the nation’s energy consumption in 2021.
Overall, the dashboard covers six areas that will be key to making a full transition to renewable energy resources: wind, solar, electric vehicles, electric-vehicle-charging ports, efficiency and battery storage.
“Renewables, like wind and solar, are poised to play a dominant role in America’s energy future,” said Johanna Neumann, senior director of Environment America Research & Policy Center’s Campaign for 100% Renewable Energy. “As clean energy sources produce more and more of our power, they set the stage for other technologies – like electric cars and heat pumps powered by renewable energy – to replace dirty and outdated ones. With renewables on the rise, we’re on our way to building a cleaner, healthier future.”
In California, Texas and Florida, solar power and battery storage grew the most from 2012 to 2021, per the research, and Texas, Oklahoma and Iowa had the most growth in wind power energy. Michigan, Illinois and Massachusetts saw the greatest improvement in savings from electric energy efficiency programs in recent years and electric vehicle sales have been booming in California, Florida and New York.
While these states have made significant commitments to renewable energy, the dashboard shows that there has been “meaningful clean energy growth,” in all 50 states.
“Repowering America with clean energy is a 50-state project,” said Tony Dutzik, associate director and senior policy analyst for Frontier Group. “The ‘Renewables on the Rise’ dashboard highlights the impressive achievements of long-time clean energy leaders, but also promising signs of growth in states all across the country.”
As of last year, the U.S. produced enough wind energy to power 35 million typical homes in 2021, nearly three times as much as it did in 2012. That’s more than the number of households in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago and Philadelphia combined, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.
Enough solar power to power 15 million homes was also generated – 15 times more than in 2012.
Right now, the nation has 4.7 gigawatts of battery energy storage, 32 times as much as it did 10 years ago. Growing these resources not only impacts the environment, but it can keep electricity running “during extreme weather and times of grid stress,” said Environment America Research Center.
Energy efficiency savings also increased by about 50% between 2013 and 2020, said the group.
As for clean-energy transport, Americans bought 647,000 plug-in electric vehicles in 2021, representing a nearly 13-fold increase from 2012. Electric vehicle chargers increased by close to 20-fold and now exceeded 120,000.
“Federal clean energy tax credits promise to turbocharge clean energy’s growth,” the Environment Research Center said, adding that “the Inflation Reduction Act, passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden this summer, offers consumers tax credits and discounts on more than a dozen types of energy-saving purchases.” These include: new and used electric vehicles, rooftop solar, geothermal heating and cooling, upgrading electric panels, and heat pump/HVAC systems, water heaters and clothes dryers.
Inflation Reduction Act measures are expected to reduce pollution from fossil fuels, preventing up to 4,500 premature deaths and up to 119,000 asthma attacks annually by 2030, according to models by Energy Innovation.
“The Inflation Reduction Act provides wraparound incentives that not only reduce the cost of clean energy technology, but also provide financing to retire uneconomic fossil plants and funding to build up the domestic manufacturing industry,” said Michelle Solomon, Policy Analyst at Energy Innovation.
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