In 2022, generation from renewable sources such as wind, solar, hydro, biomass and geothermal surpassed coal-fired generation in the U.S. electric power sector for the first time. That’s according to new data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s Electricity Power Monthly.
The shift continues to be driven by solar and wind capacity additions. Utility-scale solar capacity in the U.S. increased from 61 GW in 2021 to 71 GW in 2022, according to EIA. Wind capacity grew from 133 GW in 2021 to 141 GW in 2022. The combined wind and solar share of total generation increased from 12% in 2021 to 14% in 2022.
