WASHINGTON, D.C.—A review by the SUN DAY Campaign of data recently released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) confirms that during the first three-quarters of 2024, solar remained the nation’s fastest growing source of electricity as the mix of all renewables increased their output by nearly 9 percent.
In its latest monthly “Electric Power Monthly” report (with data through September 30, 2024), EIA says the combination of utility-scale and “estimated” small-scale (e.g., rooftop) solar increased by 25.9 percent in the first nine months of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023.
Utility-scale solar thermal and photovoltaic expanded by 30.1 percent while small-scale solar PV increased by 16.2 percent. Together, solar was over 7.0 percent (7.13 percent) of total U.S. electrical generation for the period.
In September alone, electrical generation by utility-scale solar expanded by 29.0 percent compared to September 2023 while small-scale solar grew by 14.2 percent; combined solar grew by 24.6 percent and accounted for more than 7.5 percent of total U.S. electrical output.
Small-scale solar (i.e., systems <1-MW) accounted for almost 30 percent (28.2 percent) of all solar generation and provided 2.0 percent of U.S. electricity supply in the first nine months of this year.
The Impact of Small-Scale Solar PV
In fact, small-scale solar PV is now generating nearly twice as much electricity as utility-scale biomass as well as over five times more electricity than either utility-scale geothermal or the mix of petroleum liquids and coke.
The electrical output of the nation’s wind farms in the first nine months of 2024 was 6.6 percent more than that of a year ago. Wind remains the largest source of electrical generation among renewable energy sources, accounting for 9.9 percent of the nation’s total.
The combination of wind and solar provided 17.0 percent of the nation’s electrical generation during the first three-quarters of 2024.
Renewables provided 24.0 percent of total U.S. electricity production in the first nine months of 2024 compared to 22.8 percent of electrical output a year earlier.
Between January and September, electrical generation by the mix of all renewables (i.e., wind and solar plus hydropower, biomass and geothermal) grew by 8.6 percent compared to the same period a year earlier—more than double the growth rate of natural gas (4.1 percent) and nearly seven times that of nuclear power (1.3 percent).
More Electricity from Renewables
In September alone, electrical generation by renewables grew by 7.9 percent compared to September 2023 and was 21.3 percent of the U.S. total. A year earlier, their share had been only 19.8 percent.
During the first nine months of 2024, wind out-produced hydropower by 76.4 percent while solar generation surpassed hydropower by 27.2 percent. In September alone, wind and solar produced 73.5 percent and 65.9 percent respectively more electricity than hydropower.
Further, during the first nine months of this year, the combination of wind and solar produced 14.5 percent more electricity than did coal and came close to matching nuclear power’s share of total generation (17.0 percent vs. 17.6 percent).
The mix of renewables further strengthened their position as the second largest source of electrical generation, behind only natural gas.
“Renewable energy sources now account for a quarter of the nation’s electricity,” noted the SUN DAY Campaign’s Executive Director Ken Bossong. “Consequently, rash efforts by the incoming Trump Administration to undermine renewables would have serious negative impacts on the nation’s electricity supply and the economy.”
