The United States is one of the countries with the highest consumption of renewable energy worldwide, ranking second after China and accounting for some 12 percent of the
. In total, the North American country consumed roughly 8.2 quadrillion British thermal units of renewables in 2023. Overall, the share of
in the U.S. has presented an increasing trend over the last few years, reaching a share of 22.5 percent in 2023. Under recent projections, the majority of the United States'
are expected to be from renewable sources, with solar being the largest contributor. As the cost of clean energy technology continues to fall, it is expected that renewables will continue to displace traditional energy sources like coal.
Wind energy is the leading renewable energy source in the U.S.
Newly added renewable capacity tends to be concentrated in areas that already have significant renewable capacity, such as the increased wind capacity seen in Texas, Oklahoma, and Iowa. Wind generation is generally evenly spread out across the continental United States. With over 425 terawatt hours of
power generation in 2023, wind energy remains the leading source of renewable electricity across the country.
Solar energy: U.S. fastest-growing renewable technology
In comparison,
solar power generation totaled around 164 terawatt hours in 2023. Solar energy sources tend to be concentrated in the western part of the country, although in the last years, the technology has been growing in popularity and it's being widely adopted. Currently, solar energy is the fastest-growing renewable energy source, accounting for the largest share of new capacity additions. On the other hand, hydroelectric conventional power has long been one of the most important renewable energy sources in the United States, with Washington being one of the largest consumers. Currently,
hydropower capacity in the U.S. does not present a growing trend.
Renewable energy consumption outlook
In 2023, a total of 93.6 quadrillion British thermal units of
primary energy were consumed in the United States. The share of renewable energy sources in total U.S. energy consumption has increased in recent years. In 2023, renewable energy consumption reached roughly 8.2 quadrillion British thermal units.The United States is
expected to continue increasing its renewable energy consumption in the following decades, reaching approximately 30.5 quadrillion British thermal units in 2050.
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Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date
data than referenced in the text.
