Last year, the US got more of its electricity from wind and solar power than from coal. It’s the first time that’s ever happened, and it shows how quickly the US is moving toward cleaner energy sources. Because renewable energy is so cheap, it will probably continue to grow, despite President Donald Trump’s push to increase fossil fuel use.
The US gets its electricity from many different sources. In 2024, around 58% of the country’s electricity came from fossil fuels like natural gas, oil, and coal.
But Ember, a company that studies energy use, says renewable energy is growing rapidly. In 2024, wind and solar power provided 17% of the electricity in the US. For the first time ever, these renewables beat coal, which provided just 15% of the US’s electricity.
That’s a huge change. Ember says that in 2018, just six years ago, coal produced three times as much electricity as wind and solar power combined.
A graph showing US electricity generation from 2000 to 2024 by energy source. For 2024, Gas leads by far, followed by Nuclear, Wind and Solar, and Coal. Hydro and Other are near the bottom.
In 2024, wind and solar power provided 17% of the electricity in the US. For the first time ever, these renewables beat coal, which provided just 15% of the US’s electricity. The graph above shows how US electricity sources have changed from 2000 to 2024.
(Source: Ember.)
Wind and solar energy are growing because they’ve gotten cheaper and cheaper. That’s especially true for solar power, which produced 81% of the extra electricity added to the grid last year. Though solar is growing much faster, wind energy is still bigger than solar, providing about 10% of the country’s electricity.
Under Ex-President Joe Biden, the US government worked hard to promote renewable energy. That changed when Mr. Trump took office in January. Mr. Trump is pushing hard to promote polluting fossil fuels.
Even so, experts say renewable energy will probably continue to grow. The main reason is that renewable energy sources are cheaper. The US added 50 gigawatts of solar power in a single year last year. That’s enough to supply the electricity required by more than 37 million average US homes. And solar energy is expected to grow even more in the future.
The Brazos Wind Farm, also known as the Green Mountain Energy Wind Farm, near Fluvanna, Texas. Note cattle grazing beneath the turbines.
Wind and solar energy are growing because they’ve gotten cheaper and cheaper. That’s especially true for solar power. Solar is growing faster, but wind energy is still bigger, providing about 10% of the country’s electricity. Above, the Brazos Wind Farm in Texas.
(Source: Leaflet [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons.)
Natural gas is still a major source of energy in the US. It produced about 42.5% of the country’s electricity last year. Natural gas is cleaner than coal, but it’s still a fossil fuel, and makes the climate crisis worse.
Fuels like natural gas have one big advantage – they can supply power even at night. Solar electricity is only produced when the sun is shining. But Ember’s report suggests that as more large-scale battery stations are added to the grid, solar power will be available around the clock, too.
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The US added 50 gigawatts of solar power in a single year last year. To reduce pollution and fight climate change, the US will need to continue to grow its renewable energy sources. Above, workers installing panels at a solar power plant in Rodeo, California in July of last year.
For years, the demand for electricity in the US has remained about the same. But now, demand is rising, and it’s expected to keep going up. There are several reasons, including more large computer centers providing Artificial Intelligence (AI) services, cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, and an increase in the number of electric cars.
To reduce pollution and fight climate change, the US will need to continue to grow its renewable energy sources. Another report released last week says that by 2040, the country will need 900 more gigawatts of renewable energy and battery storage.
Dave Jones, who led the study for Ember, believes that with battery storage, solar will grow faster and remain cheaper than natural gas. “Solar is winning,” he says.
Did You Know…?
The pattern is similar in other countries. Last year in the European Union (EU), solar power produced more electricity than coal for the first time ever. And solar and wind together produced more than coal and natural gas combined. Last year was also the first time that renewable energy sources in the United Kingdom (UK) produced more electricity than fossil fuels.