Green energy has come a long way since its early days of high costs and low-efficiency, making even high-efficiency PV arrays affordable for residential use today. However, one of the biggest achievements in the last decade has been in our ability to harness wind energy with greater efficiency. What was once considered to be an unreliable and minor source of renewable energy, has become the leading source of green electricity in most of Europe and even the US. With that being the first encouraging fact about green energy’s progress and future in the country, let’s get to the rest next.

Image Credit: Pixabay

Coal Came 2nd to Renewable Energy in 2019 & 2020

Although 60.3% of the total, national electricity output was owed to non-renewable sources in 2020, coal still came second to renewables (combined) as a source of energy, for the second year in a row. While coal managed to supply about 774 billion kWh of electricity to the grid (19.3%), renewables generated a total of 792 billion kWh of electricity (19.8%) in 2020.

Wind Energy Leads the Way

Engineering upgrades, automation, and giant windmills have now transformed wind power into the number one source of renewable electricity in America. Ahead of both hydropower and solar power, American windmills produced over 338 billion kWh of electricity in 2020, accounting for 8.4% of the nation’s total electrical energy output (all sources).

Washington Achieved a Landmark in Hydropower Generation

Did you know that hydroelectricity contributed to generating 71% of Washington’s total power output in 2020? Considering that we are talking about the entire state and not just the capital, this is extremely encouraging news for the state’s hydroelectric industry.

Iowa’s Amazing Wind Energy Output

The state of Iowa generated about 56% of its electricity from windmills in 2020, which is the highest among all US states. Despite there being a more even distribution, when it comes to wind power generation, Iowa’s massive lead points to the state’s perfect location and well-invested infrastructure.

A Dozen States Generated More than 20% of their Energy Output from Windmills

No other source of renewable energy has a more even distribution of energy generation in the States than windmills. In 2020, a total of 12 states managed to get more than 20% of their electricity output from wind energy, with Iowa leading the way of course.

The State of Georgia Reached Landmark Status in their Biomass Electricity Generation Capacity

In a decade’s time, Georgia’s capacity to generate electricity from biomass (renewable) has grown by a whopping 80% in 2020. The state achieved a landmark by producing 10% of the state’s total electricity output from biomass alone. Not only is Georgia the leading state in green biomass-derived energy generation in the US, but no other state is even close.

California Broke their Own Record in Solar Energy Generation

Natural gas might be the main source of energy in California, but the state is also the leading producer of solar (PV cell) electricity in the country. In 2020, California broke its own record and managed to generate an astounding 21% of its energy from photovoltaic arrays.

Europe is still ahead, while China is creating massive amounts of hydroelectricity every year. Nevertheless, the progress in American green energy is also becoming more evident now. This is expected to grow and show even more impressive results by the end of 2021-22, due to certain changes made in green energy laws.