This is the first time in U.S. history that wind and solar power has surpassed nuclear power. It is reported that the country generated 17.96% more wind and solar power than nuclear power plants in April. In addition, electricity generation from clean energy sources — including biomass, geothermal and hydropower and driven by strong growth in solar and wind power — accounted for 7% in April, according to a SUN DAY campaign analysis of newly released U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) data. Nearly 30% of total U.S. electricity generation.
From January to April 2022, clean energy will account for more than 25% of electricity in the United States.
The EIA’s latest “Electricity Monthly Report”, data as of April 30, 2022, also reflects a year-on-year percentage change of 28.9% for solar (including rooftops), while wind energy increased by 24.2%. Solar and wind combined grew 25.4% and accounted for more than one-sixth (16.6%) of U.S. electricity generation (12.2% for wind and 4.4% for solar). Actual figures are based on net electricity generation (gigawatt hours).
In the first four months of 2022, hydropower increased by 9.99%, but wind alone provided 70.89% more electricity than hydro.
And when it comes to fossil fuels, renewables outperform coal and nuclear by 26.13% and 37.8%, respectively, in the first three months of 2022. In fact, compared to the same period in 2021, electricity generation from coal fell by 3.9%, while nuclear fell by 1.8%.
Ken Bossong, executive director of the SUN DAY campaign, said: “Despite headwinds such as the Covid-19 pandemic, grid access issues and disruptions to global supply chains, solar and wind power continues to grow. Furthermore, they surpass nuclear power by a significant margin. .”