The latest Bloomberg New Energy Finance report suggests a record jump in renewable energy production on American soil in 2021. As much as 13% of the total power generated last year was wind- and solar-sourced.
This is excellent news given the current global race for renewable energy. Another push towards the transition to renewables is the fossil fuel price surge following the war in Ukraine and the US’s need for independence from Russian oil.
However, experts are still debating whether the fuel transition is occurring fast enough to reach the newly set goal of Biden’s Administration — reaching zero carbon emissions by 2050. Still, we can’t say there hasn’t been any progress in this field lately.
As per the BloombergNEF, the total water, wind, and solar power in 2021 increased by 4% compared to the year before. Furthermore, carbon-neutral energy sources (including nuclear energy) met 40% of the US energy needs in 2021.
US fossil fuel consumption has been decreasing since 2007, and according to the latest data, carbon emissions reached 35% lower levels in 2021 than in 2005.
And another green energy record was broken this March. For the first time, the quantity of wind-generated energy in the US surpassed that of coal and nuclear sources, which is an admirable result.
This shows that the US might be on the right path to more sustainably sourced energy.
While renewables are expected to make up 24% of the electricity generation in the US by 2030, scientists are still suspicious as to whether this is enough to battle climate change. However, changes are being made on a global level as well, so things might be looking up.
