A review by the Sun Day campaign of Data that have just been released by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) confirms that Solar remained the fastest growing electricity source of the nation during 2024, because the mix of all renewable energy sources yielded their output by almost 10% increased and almost a quarter of the total.
Most important year-to-date (YTD) trends for solar energy:
In its last monthly ‘Electric Power Monthly’ report (with data until December 31, 2024), EIA says that the combination of utility scale and ‘estimated’ small-scale (eg roof) solar-solar energy in 2024 increased by 26.9% by 26.9% compared to the same period in 2023.
Utility-Scal thermal and photovoltaic solar energy expanded by 32.0%, while small-scale solar PV increased by 15.3%. Together solar energy was almost 7.0% (6.91%) of the total American electrical generation for the year.
In December alone, the electrical generation expanded by Solar Energy Solar Energy by 42.0% compared to December 2023.
Small-scale solar energy (that is, systems <1 MW) accounted for 27.9% of all solar generation and supplied 1.9% of the American electricity supply in 2024.[1]
In fact, small-scale solar PV now generates almost twice as much electricity as utility scale biomass and more than five times more electricity than geothermal geothermal on utility scale or the mix of petroleum fluids and cola.
Key 2024 milestones for the mix of renewable energy sources:
The electric output of the Windparken in the country in 2024 was 7.7% more than that from a year ago. Wind remains the largest source of electrical generation with renewable energy sources, accounting for 10.3% of the total of the nation.
The combination of wind and solar energy ensured more than 17.2% of the country’s electrical generation in 2024.
The mix of all renewable energy sources (that is, wind and solar energy plus hydropower, biomass and geothermal) delivered 24.2% of the total American electricity production in 2024 compared to 23.2% of the electric output.
Between January and December, the electrical generation grew by renewable energy sources by 9.6%compared to the same period the year before – almost three times the growth rate of natural gas (3.3%) and more than ten times that of nuclear energy (0.9%).
In December alone, the electrical generation grew by renewable energy sources by 10.1% compared to December 2023.
Other remarkable developments:
During 2024, hydropower produced by the wind was surpassed by 87.2% while the solar generation surpassed the hydropower by 25.2%. [2]
Furthermore, the combination of wind and solar energy produced 15.9% more electricity than coal during the year and came close to the share of the total generation of the core (17.2% versus 17.8%).
The mix of renewable energy sources strengthened their position as the second largest source of electrical generation, behind only natural gas.
“Renewable energy sources now offer a quarter of the electricity of the country,” noted the executive director of the Sun Day Campaign Ken Bossong. “Consequently, the hasty efforts of the Trump government to undermine wind, solar energy and other renewable energy sources will have serious negative consequences for the electricity supply of the nation and the economy.”
News item from the Sun Day campaign
