Renewables supply nearly one-third of US electricity in April

Driven by strong growth in the solar and wind sectors, renewable energy sources across the United States accounted for almost 30% of total national electrical generation in April and more than one quarter of total generation during the first third of the year.

New figures published by the US government’s Energy Information Administration (EIA) and analysed by the Sun Day Campaign show that renewable energy generation sources in April – including wind, solar, biomass, geothermal, and hydropower – accounted for 29.30% of US electricity generation, a record high.

Similarly, over the first four months of 2022, renewables expanded by 18.49% to provide 25.52% of the nation’s electricity, outpacing both coal and nuclear power.

Generation from coal declined by 3.94% compared to the same period in 2021, while nuclear declined by 1.80%.

Solar generation grew by 28.93% through the first four months of the year, while wind energy generation increased by 24.25%. Together, wind and solar grew by 25.46% and accounted for 16.67% of US electrical generation during the first third of the year.

“Notwithstanding headwinds such as the Covid pandemic, grid access problems, and disruptions in global supply chains, solar and wind remain on a roll,” said Ken Bossong, Sun Day Campaign’s executive director.

“Moreover, by surpassing nuclear power by ever greater margins, they illustrate the foolishness of trying to revive the soon-to-retire Diablo Canyon nuclear plant in California and the just-retired Palisades reactor in Michigan rather than focusing on accelerating renewables’ growth.”