Here are some fascinating figures (from Environment America) about the growth of renewables in the United States:
Between 2011 and 2020, renewable energy production (solar, wind, and geothermal) grew at an average rate of 15% per year. Assuming this same rate of growth, the US could be on target to meet all of its electricity needs with renewables by 2035.
The US produces 23x more solar power and 3x more wind power than it did in 2011.
The median efficiency for new residential solar panels increased by 37% from 2010 to 2019. At the same time, the cost of distributed solar photovoltaic systems fell by 71% and the cost of utility-scale systems fell by about 80% between 2010 and 2018.
During this same time period (2010-2018), the cost of land-based wind power fell by 66%.
The median range of new electric vehicles increased by more than 3x between 2011 and 2020. The median range is now more than 250 miles on a single charge. By the middle of this year, cumulative plug-in EV sales surpassed 2 million units.
Texas is the US state that currently produces the most renewable energy.
To download the full report by Environment America, click here.
Photo by Nuno Marques on Unsplash