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