U.S. renewable electricity grew to 15.5% of the country's total installed capacity and 13.5% of total electricity generation in 2014, according to a new report from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).
NREL says the 2014 Renewable Energy Data Book, published on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy, illustrates U.S. and global energy statistics. NREL Energy Analyst Philipp Beiter states, ‘The Data Book's findings provide useful insights for policymakers, analysts and investors.’
According to the national lab, key insights from the report include the following:
– Renewable electricity accounted for more than 50% of all new U.S. electricity capacity installations in 2014.
– U.S. wind electricity generation increased by 8.3% in 2014, and wind electricity capacity grew by 7.8% (4.8 GW).
– Solar electricity installed capacity increased by more than 54%, or 5.5 GW, accounting for more than 48% of U.S. renewable electricity capacity installed in 2014.
– U.S. electricity capacities of biomass, geothermal and hydropower have remained relatively stable from 2000 to 2014.
The full Data Book is available here.
