Article written by Tim Mooney
The US has been generating climate headlines recently, and not for the best reasons. Most notably, Trump withdrew the US from the Paris Agreement and doubled down on his “drill baby drill” energy approach.
However, according to a new US energy market report from Ember, the country has been hitting renewable energy records and milestones.
2024 was a year of renewable energy records for the US. Wind and solar combined produced a record 17 per cent of the US electricity mix, overtaking coal, which sat at 15 per cent, for the first time.
The significance of this should not be overlooked. In 2018, coal was three times larger than the combined total of wind and solar, highlighting significant clean energy progress in recent years. Notably, solar generation rose by 27 per cent in 2024, wind by 7 per cent, and coal fell by 3.3 per cent. In 24 states, solar and wind have overtaken coal as an energy source.
In addition, solar capacity rose 64 TWh, an increase larger than the 59 TWh rise in has generation year-on-year. Leading the way in solar is California and Nevada, with both states surpassing a 30 per cent annual share of solar in their electricity mix for the first time.
A key driver of this has been California’s battery revolution, in which it installed 20 per cent more battery storage capacity than it did solar capacity, helping to transition the energy system and manage clean energy supply.
While renewable energy milestones and records are being hit, the US also generated a record amount of gas in 2024, accounting for 43 per cent of its total energy mix. Demand growth has been a key driver of this generation.
In total, 85 per cent of the total growth in gas, solar and wind is said to have met rising electricity demand, while 15 per cent replaced the decline in coal generation. Overall, a combination of growing energy demand and less coal generation is helping the US clean energy sector.
The rise in US power demand outstripped the rise in power sector carbon emissions, meaning that each unit of electricity produced in the US in 2024 was technically the cleanest it has ever been, but overall sector carbon emissions did increase.
What this means is that carbon intensity hit a record low of 384 gCO2/KWh in 2024, mainly attributed to wind and solar growth outstripping fossil fuel growth.
However, power sector emissions increased just 0.7 per cent in 2024 and is a result of rising electricity demand. This increase isn’t causing concern for industry analysts, who believe continued bolstering of the clean energy supply could help manage growing demand and stall sector emissions.
Overall, the US’s clean energy transition hinges on the expansion of clean energy generation and energy demand. If the US slows investment in renewable energies and instead prioritises fossil fuels to service growing demand, the US’s record breaking clean energy year may be a mere anomaly in its 2020s tracker.
