Renewables are on the rise — and so are new energy challenges

America tripled its production of solar, wind and geothermal power from 2014 to 2023, with growth in all 50 states, according to the latest research from The Public Interest Network’s groups, Environment America Research & Policy Center and Frontier Group.

Our freshly updated Renewables on the Rise 2024 online dashboard tells a story of renewable energy progress at a quickening pace across six key areas:

• America generated enough solar energy to power 22 million typical homes in 2023 — a more-than-eightfold increase over 2014’s total — and enough wind energy to power nearly 39 million homes in 2023 — more than double 2014’s total;

• America had 15.5 gigawatts of battery storage at 2023’s end, 97 times what we had in 2014 and 72% more than the previous year, helping Americans increase the share of energy we’re using from renewable sources and building resilience into our energy system in times of extreme weather and grid stress;

• America saw 3.3 million electric vehicles on its roads by 2023’s end — a 25-fold increase from 2014 — with more than 176,000 EV charging ports — almost seven times as much as in 2014 and a 22% increase from 2022; and

• America’s energy efficiency savings grew by about 9% between 2013 and 2022, the most recent year with available data. Energy efficiency upgrades installed in 2022 alone will save enough energy to power 25 million homes for a full year.

100% Renewable on the rise

The rise of renewables has done much to reset the expectations of many Americans — not to mention the nation’s policy conversation on energy — since we released the first report in our annual Renewables on the Rise series in 2017.

Just seven years ago, we began charting the success-story-in-progress that is American solar and wind power, along with complementary clean technologies, to help make the case that America could and should set its sights higher, by embracing a visionary goal of 100% renewable energy by 2045.

Back then, Environment America and our network of state environmental groups had been campaigning to convince a second state to join Hawaii in adopting a 100% clean energy goal. At the time, we faced no shortage of skepticism from experts and laypeople alike such a goal was even worth considering.

Today, 100% commitments from states as well as universities, corporations and other major institutions have entered the political mainstream, propelling a virtuous cycle where renewable energy progress begets bolder policy ambition, leading to still greater renewable progress.

Thirteen states and counting have codified their 100% clean power commitments, covering more than a third of Americans. It’s not just sunny and progressive states like California and New Mexico but also Michigan, Minnesota and Maine that have joined the ranks of 100% states — with relative newcomers Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont all setting more aggressive timelines to reach 100% than California had committed to, with our strong support, back in 2018.

AI, data centers and the wisest use of energy

Today, even as America picks up the pace on renewable energy adoption, the goalposts may be shifting. After two decades of flat demand, electricity consumption is also on the rise.

That’s due in part to wise climate mitigation efforts (the electrification of transportation and buildings) as well as troubling demographic trends (Americans moving to warmer places despite their proneness to extreme heat, thus increasing the nation’s use of air conditioning and cooling systems).

But the greatest projected increase in electricity usage by far comes from an enormous, planned nationwide expansion of data centers to support telecommunications, cloud computing and artificial intelligence technologies.

As quickly as renewable energy is growing, it can’t meet this new demand alone. And so, this rapid expansion is already reviving the fortunes of dangerous coal, gas and nuclear energy that had been on their way out, thereby making a 100% renewable future much harder to achieve.

Everyone should be able to agree: The vast societal benefits that AI and associated technologies may one day bring should not come at the cost of our health, environment and the livability of our climate.

Since our first report declaring America’s readiness to commit to the 100% Renewable goal, we’ve emphasized that getting to 100% before 2045 requires America to reduce energy consumption.

Conservation is the foundation of environmentalism. Whether it’s energy or other resources, the best environmental practice is to use only what’s needed. Then, any energy consumed must be consumed as efficiently as possible. Finally, after minimizing consumption levels to what is truly beneficial and after maximizing efficiency, all of America’s energy ought to come from renewable sources — because even though renewables are our cleanest energy source, they come with real environmental drawbacks we shouldn’t look away from and must take care to manage and minimize.

What will the future look like?

Thanks to decades’ worth of work by renewable energy industry leaders, advocacy groups like Environment America and PIRG and our state groups, decision makers all across the country, and the financial and organizing support of members and foundations, renewable energy is more abundant in 2024 than many would have imagined. As phenomenal as this success story has been, the best days of renewable energy in America are yet to come.

But whether all the solar and wind power, all the EVs and charging ports and battery storage on the horizon will help deliver the greener, healthier and more sustainable world we all want will hinge on the judiciousness and foresight we apply to our overall energy consumption. Let’s have this conversation now.