Renewable energy has arrived, and it makes up the majority of new generating capacity being added in the United States. The US Energy Information Administration projects renewables’ share of the national generation mix will rise from 21 percent in 2020 to 42 percent in 2050, even as the federal tax credits for both wind and solar close out over the next few years.
Wind power had a banner year in 2020 with a single-year record of 12GW of new capacity additions and, on December 23, 2021 a new daily record of 1.76 million MWh or around 17 percent of total generation. Solar added slightly more new capacity, 15.4GW, accounting for 39 percent of the total, the largest contribution of any generation type.
