A recent report from the SUN DAY Campaign, based on data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), shows that solar energy has been the driving force behind the growth of renewable energy in the United States in 2024. Over the first three quarters of the year, solar electricity generation increased by 25.9%. This growth included a 30.1% rise in utility-scale solar and a 16.2% increase in small-scale solar, such as rooftop systems. Solar now makes up 7.13% of the total electricity generated in the U.S.
In September 2024 alone, utility-scale solar generation grew by 29.0%, while small-scale solar saw a 14.2% increase. Overall, solar energy expanded by 24.6% that month, contributing more than 7.5% of the nation’s total electricity generation. Small-scale solar, which includes systems under 1 MW, accounted for nearly 30% of the country’s solar generation, contributing 2.0% to the overall electricity supply.
Wind energy also saw positive growth, with generation increasing by 6.6% in the first nine months of 2024. Wind now provides 9.9% of the nation’s electricity. Together, wind and solar contributed to 17.0% of U.S. electricity generation in 2024.
Renewable energy sources, including wind, solar, hydropower, biomass, and geothermal, supplied 24.0% of the nation’s electricity in the first three quarters of 2024, marking a 1.2% increase from the previous year. The growth rate of renewables (8.6%) outpaced that of natural gas (4.1%) and nuclear power (1.3%).
In September 2024, renewable energy accounted for 21.3% of the nation’s electricity, up from 19.8% in September 2023. Wind and solar together produced 14.5% more electricity than coal, and their combined output was almost equal to that of nuclear power (17.0% versus 17.6%).
Ken Bossong, executive director of the SUN DAY Campaign, emphasized the significance of these trends: “Renewable energy now makes up a quarter of the nation’s electricity. Any efforts to undermine renewable energy could harm both the electricity supply and the economy.”
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