SEEING IS BELIEVING: STATUS OF RENEWABLE ENERGY IN THE UNITED STATES

The document highlights that wind power purchase agreements (PPAs) are cheaper than new coal and natural gas plants across most U.S. regions, even without federal tax incentives. It provides specific examples of solar PV projects outcompeting fossil fuels in states like Utah, Colorado, and Georgia. To sustain these trends, the text recommends increasing federal R&D funding, reforming tax incentives to be refundable, and establishing long-term regulatory certainty through carbon pricing or greenhouse gas standards.

• In most U.S. regions, the average wind power purchase agreement (PPA) is more affordable than new coal plants, as well as new coal and natural gas plants, including scenarios where federal tax incentives are absent.
• Solar photovoltaic (PV) projects are increasingly competitive with fossil fuels, with specific price points noted: 5.5 cents per kWh in Utah, just under 5 cents per kWh for Austin Energy, and an average of 6.5 cents per kWh for Georgia Power.
• Technological advancements are driving costs down and expanding capacity, specifically an 80 percent drop in solar PV system prices since 2008 and the development of taller wind turbines with longer blades to capture more energy.
• The document identifies several policy needs to support renewables: making tax incentives refundable for developers, providing access to long-term contracts to reduce costs by 10–15 percent, and increasing federal R&D funding, which has decreased by 77 percent since 1980.
• To ensure long-term regulatory certainty, the document advocates for a price on carbon, such as a carbon tax or cap-and-trade, or the finalization of EPA greenhouse gas standards for existing power plants under the Clean Air Act.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). SEEING IS BELIEVING: STATUS OF RENEWABLE ENERGY IN THE UNITED STATES. https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/Seeing_is_Believing_Status_of_Renewables_0.pdf

Chicago

World Resources Institute. SEEING IS BELIEVING: STATUS OF RENEWABLE ENERGY IN THE UNITED STATES. n.d. https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/Seeing_is_Believing_Status_of_Renewables_0.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=SEEING IS BELIEVING: STATUS OF RENEWABLE ENERGY IN THE UNITED STATES |url=https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/Seeing_is_Believing_Status_of_Renewables_0.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendseeing, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{SEEING IS BELIEVING: STATUS OF RENEWABLE ENERGY IN THE UNITED STATES}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/Seeing_is_Believing_Status_of_Renewables_0.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }