Renewable energy in the U.S. nearly quadrupled in the past decade, report finds

by Tik Root

November 9, 2021

“The proportion of electricity the United States gets from solar and wind nearly quadrupled between 2011 and 2020….Those findings come from a report released Tuesday by the nonprofit Environment America Research and Policy Center and the nonpartisan research organization Frontier Group. The analysis also found that if the current growth rate continues, wind, solar and geothermal would meet current electricity demand levels by 2035 — which is when President Biden aims to have an entirely fossil-fuel-free grid.

“The pace of progress is continuing to pick up,” said Emma Searson, an author of the new report. “That’s exactly what we need to see in years to come.”

…the United States still produces only 12 percent of its electricity from wind and solar — putting it in the middle of the pack globally. The percentage in both the United Kingdom and Germany is more than double that.

Searson acknowledged that “we have a lot of work,” and she noted that keeping electricity demand in check is as critical as transitioning toward a cleaner supply. “Energy efficiency and energy conservation are just as important parts of the picture,” she said. The report found that, in 2019, efficiency programs in the United States saved 17 percent more energy than they did in 2011.

But ultimately, Searson said she is hopeful about the U.S. trajectory.

“This really visionary target of 100 percent clean electricity is no longer a wild picture,” she said. “It’s something we can imagine.”

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