Renewable energy passes the 50% mark for new U.S. electricity capacity
Electricity generated from renewable sources accounted for more than 50% of all new U.S. energy capacity installations in 2014, growing to 15.5% of total installed capacity and 13.5% of total electricity generation.
Solar electricity installations lead the pack, increasing by more than 54% and adding 5.5 gigawatts (GW), according to a report from an annual report by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
Solar electricity installations accounted for more than 48% of U.S. renewable electricity capacity added in 2014, according to NREL, part of the U.S. Department of Energy. Installed solar capacity now exceeds 179GW and generates 554 terawatt-hours of capacity.
Although solar generation still made up a small mix of the renewable electricity — just 6% — it accounted for 22% of total electricity capacity added in 2014.
Total solar power capacity remains well behind water-generated power. Hydroelectric made up the vast majority of renewable electricity generation in 2014, followed by wind. In 2014, U.S. hydropower produced nearly half of total renewable electricity generation, wind produced 33%, biomass produced 12%, solar photovoltaics (PV) and concentrating solar power (CSP) produced 6%, and geothermal produced 3%.
