According to a new report released by the Environment America Research and Policy Center and the Frontier Group, solar and wind production have nearly quadrupled between 2011 and 2020.
While geothermal energy remained largely unchanged, both wind and solar have seen unprecedented growth, paving the way for a fossil-fuel-free renewable energy grid by 2035 — a heavy focus for the Biden agenda.
“The pace of progress is continuing to pick up,” said Emma Searson, an author of the new report. “That’s exactly what we need to see in years to come.”
“Using U.S. Energy Information Administration data, Searson and her colleagues calculated that the United States went from producing 125,820 gigawatt-hours of wind and solar electricity in 2011 to 470,141 gigawatt-hours in 2020. Geothermal generation stayed largely constant and, as of 2020, stood at a relatively low 16,930 GWh.”
In particular, solar energy has increased 23-fold and prices have come down with it. In total, and as the report indicates, solar costs have dropped about 80% since 2011 and will continue to come down as solar energy consumption continues to grow.
“Many of those are areas with abundant renewable energy potential, such as sunny Arizona and windy Great Plains states like Iowa and Oklahoma, she said. For Searson, that is an indication that even if the political climate isn’t necessarily favorable to renewables, the technologies can catch on in naturally conducive regions. And, the report says, “every state in the country has enough potential from either solar or wind energy alone to supply all of its electricity needs.””
The main driver for solar energy appears to be both public policy geared towards solar expansion and the abundant source of sunshine for a large majority of the U.S. — however, there still remain challenges.
“Searson acknowledged that “we have a lot of work,” and she noted that keeping electricity demand in check is as critical as transitioning toward a cleaner supply. “Energy efficiency and energy conservation are just as important parts of the picture,” she said. The report found that, in 2019, efficiency programs in the United States saved 17 percent more energy than they did in 2011.”
Full Story: Renewable energy in the U.S. nearly quadrupled in the past decade, report finds by author Tik Root; originally published in The Washington Post on November 9, 2021.
