In the first six months of 2022, 24% of US utility-scale electricity generation came from renewable sources, based on data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). The renewables’ share increased from 21% for the same time period last year. Renewables are the fastest-growing electricity generation source in the United States.
Renewable generation sources include conventional hydropower, wind, solar, geothermal, and biomass. In the United States, most renewable electricity generation comes from hydropower, solar, and wind. Generation from renewable energy sources has grown rapidly as renewable capacity, mostly solar and wind, has been added to the grid.
In 2021, a record amount of new utility-scale solar capacity was installed in the United States. From June 2021 to June 2022, 17.6 GW of new utility-scale solar capacity came online, bringing US utility-scale solar capacity to 65.8 GW, according to the EIA. In June 2022, the United States had 137.6 GW of wind capacity, and 10% (14.3 GW) of that capacity was installed between June 2021 and June 2022. Based on planned additions reported to the EIA by power plant owners and developers, another 7 GW of wind and 13 GW of solar capacity will come online by the end of the year.
