Solar + Wind Supply 14.8% of US Electricity in 2022

By Christian Roselund

Solar represented 4.7% of U.S. electricity generation in 2022 and wind supplied another 10.1%, according to the latest data from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration (EIA). EIA’s February 2022 Electric Power Monthly shows solar generation rising 24.1% over 2021 levels, with wind increasing 15.0%.

In 2022 all renewable energy sources including solar, wind, hydroelectric power, biomass, and geothermal reached 22.5% of US generation. Nuclear generation supplied another 17.9%, meaning that all zero-carbon sources of power together represented 40.5% of generation. EIA data shows not only the share of fossil fuel-fired generation falling to 59.5%, but the ongoing shift from coal to gas. Coal-fired generation fell 7.7% to 19.3% of total generation, while natural gas-fired generation grew 7.0% to represent 39.3% of the total.

State-Level Data

In addition to national data, Electric Power Monthly also features state-level data. EIA estimates that California generated 60.3 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity from solar in 2022, around 30% of the total in the nation. However, California’s year-over-year growth in electricity generation from solar was only 14.5%, much less than the national average. In second place was Texas, which generated 25.4 TWh from solar, representing a 47.4% increase over 2021 levels. By far the state with the fastest rate of growth was Maine, which grew electricity generation from solar 185% during 2022 to 843 gigawatt-hours; however, the state was starting from a relatively small base.

Texas remained the undisputed leader in wind generation in 2022, with 113 TWh of generation. This is up 14.5% from 2021 levels and represents more than one quarter of the wind generation in the nation. However, during 2022 Iowa – a much smaller state – generated 44.6 TWh and Oklahoma generated 37.4 TWh.

Transition Must Accelerate to Meet Goals

From 2018 through 2022, electricity generation from solar showed a compound annual growth rate of of 21.5%, and wind 11.4%. If electricity demand were to remain stable and solar and wind continue to grow at these rates, in 2030 wind would represent 28.8% of electricity generation and solar 22.3%. If hydro and other renewable energy output were to remain constant, this will result in a roughly 59% share of renewable energy, well short of President Biden’s goal to reach 80% renewables in electricity generation. If nuclear output also remains constant, this would bring the share of zero-carbon generation to around 77%.

Energy modelers expect the extension of the Investment Tax Credit (ITC) and Production Tax Credit (PTC) to increase the rate of solar and wind deployment over the next decade. However, there are many challenges to this projected growth, including everything from supply chain challenges to restrictions on solar imports due to trade policies and the very slow pace of
interconnection approvals.

Additionally, electricity demand is expected to grow as more electric vehicles and heat pumps are sold. This means that even more renewables will need to be put online to displace fossil fuels and reach President Biden’s target.

Source: Electric Power Monthly (EIA)

News analysis: One State Generates Much, Much More Renewable Energy Than Any Other—and It’s Not California (Inside Climate News)

News analysis: Solar produced 4.7% of U.S. electricity in 2022, generation up 25% (pv magazine USA)