The U.S. Energy Information Administration announced Monday that renewable Energy will surpass coal for the first time in 2022. In 2022,2021 will continue to lead the way, with renewable energy outpacing nuclear power for the first time. Wind and solar power, which together account for 14% of U. S. electricity generation, has played an important role in driving the growth of renewable energy generation.
“I'm happy to see that we've crossed the threshold,” said Stephen Johann Elert Bode, professor of ecology and Assistant Provost for Sustainable Development at Brown University. “But this is just the first step. There's still a long way to go.”
California generates 26% of large-scale solar power, followed by Texas and North Carolina, which generate 16% and 8% , respectively.
The state with the most wind power is Texas, with 26 percent, followed by Iowa (10 percent) and Oklahoma (9 percent) .
“The economy is driving the renewable energy boom,” says Gregory Wetstone, president and chief executive of the Renewable Energy Council. “Over the last decade, the cost of wind power has dropped by 70% , while the cost of solar power has fallen by 90% . In most parts of the United States, generating electricity from renewable sources has become the most affordable option.”
The U.S. Energy Information Administration predicts that the share of wind power in the U.S. electricity mix will increase from 11% to 12% over the next year, solar from 4% to 5% , and natural gas is expected to remain around 39% , coal will fall from 20 per cent to 17 per cent.
“Wind and solar will be the backbone of renewable energy growth, but whether they will be able to meet all of the nation's electricity needs without alternative sources is a matter of debate,” Johann Elert Bode said. As the proportion of renewable energy in the supply network increases, a series of questions also need to be considered. “The existing energy grid can deliver electricity from the same source, while renewable sources such as solar and wind are intermittent, so battery storage, long-distance transmission and other measures are needed to meet these challenges.”
The United States Energy Information Administration reports that the United States remains highly dependent on fossil fuels. In 2022, coal accounted for 20% of electricity generation, down from 3% for 2021. Natural gas is the largest source of electricity, accounting for 39 percent of electricity generation in 2022, a 2 percent increase from 2021.
Melissa Lott, director of Research at Columbia University's Center for global energy policy, said: “Natural gas has been the main driver of reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, largely replacing coal-fired power.”
She pointed out that the inflation reduction act (IRA) would stimulate the development of renewable energy, the number of renewable energy projects would increase significantly, and the pace of the energy transition would accelerate.