According to the latest "Electric Power Monthly" report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, which includes data through the end of 2014, some 13.91% of electricity generation in the U.S. last year was from renewable sources.
"Given current growth rates, especially for solar and wind, it is quite possible that renewable energy sources will reach, or exceed, 14% of the nation's electrical supply by the end of 2015," noted Ken Bossong, executive director of the SUN DAY Campaign. "That is a level that EIA, only a few years ago, was forecasting would not be achieved until the year 2040."
That number includes conventional hydroelectric power, which comes with severe environmental impacts of its own and is not generally considered a true "clean energy" source (the same can be said of biomass and biofuels, which is also included). So it's worth noting that 2014 was the first year that electricity generation from non-hydropower renewable energy sources exceeded hydroelectric generation.
Wind energy continues to be the biggest clean energy source by far, supplying some 4.45% of 2014 electricity generation in the U.S. versus.45% from solar and.41% from geothermal. But solar is making great strides, seeing more than 100% growth last year while wind grew just 8.3% and geothermal by just 5.4%.
Tags: solarWindbiomassGeothermalenergyhydropowerhydroelectriccoalnatural gasnuclearSUN DAY Foundationenergy information administrationEIAelectricityutilitieswar on coalwar on solar
