Environment America’s October 2023 report shows that renewable energy is rising in the United States. Since 2013, the amount of solar energy in the United States has grown nearly twelvefold, while wind energy has increased 2.6fold. The United States’ reliance on renewable energy has grown from 5% to 17% in the past ten years. Despite this, nearly 84% of the United States’ energy production came from fossil fuels in 2023.
An article by Morningstar estimated that 48% of US energy production will come from renewable energy sources in 2032. This estimate indicates that there will be a 12% annual growth of renewable energy sources in the United States. Although it is difficult to predict what the economy will look like by that time, it is something that, with the overall trends observed since 2013, looks to remain exponentially positive growth.
As technology for harnessing wind and solar power and other renewable energy sources improves, and as more and more Americans support the growth of the renewable energy sector, states have passed pro-climate policies to enforce greater standards supporting carbon neutrality. In addition, the US Government’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) has incentivized the economy to work toward finding renewable energy climate solutions, and there is increasing pressure from Americans to have the government focus on climate change solutions for global warming.
According to the World Resources Institute, investments in clean energy have increased since the IRA was enacted in August 2022, “totaling $421 billion of investment in domestic, utility-scale clean energy production, as of early 2024.”
In 2023, Minnesota enacted a 100% clean electricity standard. Michigan enacted a similar policy at the end of 2023. California and New York in 2023 passed permitting reforms intended to make it easier to build clean energy.
One policy that I would like to see enacted in other states like Michigan and Minnesota is a 100% clean electricity standard. States must begin enacting their own policies because the federal government’s efforts to pass policies are not enough to help push the renewable energy industry to its greatest potential.
A second policy that I would like to see become increasingly widespread amongst the states is a cap-and-trade program like the one in California. It is important to see that states are taking the climate crisis seriously and are encouraging the ever-decreasing use of carbon emissions from fossil fuels through programs like this.
Suppose the United States wants to stay in the game as a progressive nation. In that case, it is important that the policymakers in each of its states and at the federal level continue to think of climate-forward policy and keep it on the agenda in Congress.
This Post was submitted by Climate Scorecard US Country Manager Abby Carlson.