A Decade of Growth for U.S. Solar and Wind

The U.S. generated a record 756,621 GWh of electricity from solar and wind in 2024, accounting for 17% of total generation. Solar is the fastest-growing source, increasing 7.8-fold over the last decade, while wind grew 2.4-fold. Combined solar and wind generation has surpassed coal, which dropped to 15% of the electricity mix in 2024.

• In 2024, the U.S. reached a record 756,621 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity generation from solar and wind, which is more than triple the amount produced in 2015. This total represents 17% of all U.S. electricity generation for the year.
• Solar power is the fastest-growing electricity source in the U.S., expanding 7.8-fold from 2015 to 2024. Wind power grew 2.4-fold over the same period. In 2024, solar generation grew by 27% and wind grew by 8% compared to 2023.
• The share of electricity generated from fossil fuels in the U.S. declined from 72% in 2001 to 58% in 2024. This trend is driven by a significant drop in coal, which fell from approximately 50% of the mix in the early 2000s to 15% in 2024, at which point it was surpassed by combined solar and wind power.
• Regional leadership varies by technology: California and Texas generated 41% of all U.S. solar power in 2024, while Texas produced 28% of all U.S. wind power. Iowa had the highest share of in-state electricity from wind at 63%.
• Small-scale solar installations, including community solar and residential rooftops with less than 1 megawatt of capacity, contributed approximately 28% of all U.S. solar power generated in 2024.

APA

Larson, E., & Carley, S. (2025). A Decade of Growth for U.S. Solar and Wind. Climate Central. https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/solar-and-wind-2025

Chicago

Larson, Eric, and Sanya Carley. A Decade of Growth for U.S. Solar and Wind. Climate Central, 2025. https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/solar-and-wind-2025.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Larson |first1=Eric |last2=Carley |first2=Sanya |title=A Decade of Growth for U.S. Solar and Wind |publisher=Climate Central |date=12 March 2025 |url=https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/solar-and-wind-2025 |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{larson2025decade, author = {Larson, Eric and Carley, Sanya}, title = {{A Decade of Growth for U.S. Solar and Wind}}, institution = {Climate Central}, year = {2025}, month = mar, url = {https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/solar-and-wind-2025}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }