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Wind and solar produce more electricity than nuclear for first time ever in United States

By Kelly Pickerel | July 7, 2022

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During the first four months of 2022, electrical generation by renewable energy sources accounted for over 25% of the nation’s electricity. In April alone, renewables accounted for 29.3% — an all-time high.

And for the first time ever, the combination of just wind and solar produce more electricity in April than the nation’s nuclear power plants — 17.96% more.

This is according to a SUN DAY Campaign analysis of data in EIA’s “Electric Power Monthly” report. The report also reveals that during the first third of this year, solar (including residential) expanded by 28.93%, while wind increased by 24.25%. Combined, solar and wind grew by 25.46% and accounted for more than one-sixth (16.67%) of U.S. electrical generation (wind: 12.24%, solar: 4.43%).

Hydropower also increased by 9.99% during the first four months of 2022. However, wind alone provided 70.89% more electricity than did hydropower. Together with contributions from geothermal and biomass, the mix of renewable energy sources expanded by 18.49% and provided 25.52% of the nation’s electricity during the first four months of 2022.

For the first third of the year, renewables outpaced coal and nuclear power by 26.13% and 37.80% respectively. In fact, electrical generation by coal declined by 3.94% compared to the same period in 2021 while nuclear dropped by 1.80%.

“Notwithstanding headwinds such as the COVID pandemic, grid access problems, and disruptions in global supply chains, solar and wind remain on a roll,” noted the SUN DAY Campaign’s executive director Ken Bossong. “Moreover, by surpassing nuclear power by ever greater margins, they illustrate the foolishness of trying to revive the soon-to-retire Diablo Canyon nuclear plant in California and the just-retired Palisades reactor in Michigan rather than focusing on accelerating renewables’ growth.”

News item from SUN DAY

About The Author

Kelly Pickerel

Kelly Pickerel has over a decade of experience reporting on the U.S. solar industry and is currently editor in chief of Solar Power World.

Comments

  1. James Thompson says

    July 8, 2022 at 7:47 am

    Great news and great article. One thing. It’s never good to include biomass as a renewable energy. While technically “renewable,” its environmental impacts make it a very harmful way to generate energy.

    Reply
  2. Chris Homa says

    July 7, 2022 at 5:01 pm

    The report you referenced shows renewables at 15% not 30% it appears you doubled counted by adding the individual renewables to the renewables total.

    Reply
    • Ken E. Bossong says

      July 8, 2022 at 9:24 am

      EIA’s April 2022 data in thousand megawatt hours is:

      Hydropower: 20,194
      Non-Hydro Renewables: 65,075
      Small-Scale Solar: 5,518
      Total Renewables: 90,787

      Total Utility-Scale Energy: 304,349
      + Small-Scale Solar: 5,518
      Total Energy: 309,867

      RE’s share: 29.30%

      Reply

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