Since 2007, the use of coal for electricity generation has generally been in decline, while the use of renewables has been on the rise. Electricity generation from nuclear had remained relatively flat over the last two decades but has experienced a slight decline in recent years. In 2022, net generation of electricity from renewables reached 0.91 billion megawatt-hours, topping both coal and nuclear (0.83 and 0.77 billion megawatt-hours, respectively). In 2022, renewables accounted for about 21% of all net generation of electricity.
Net generation of electricity from renewable sources exceeded coal and nuclear in 2022.
- Renewable sources of power include wind, solar, hydropower, biomass, and geothermal energy. “Other” category includes petroleum liquids, petroleum coke, batteries, chemicals, hydrogen, pitch, purchased steam, sulfur, miscellaneous technologies, and non-renewable waste.
- Electricity net generation is the amount of gross electricity generation a generator produces minus the electricity used to operate the power plant.
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electricity Data Browser, queried April 21, 2023.
View the supporting data for this Fact of the Week.
Courtesy of U.S. DOE Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy.
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