Solar

Renewables generated more electricity than nuclear in 2021, a first

Renewables generated more electricity than nuclear in 2021, a first
Enel Green Power's 150 MW Aurora Solar in Minnesota. NREL Analyst Jordan Macknick and Jake Janski of Minnesota Native Landscapes survey the Aurora Solar Project's low-impact installation. (Photo courtesy: NREL)

Renewable energy sources generated more electricity than nuclear energy in the U.S. for the first time in 2021, data shows.

Renewables -- wind, hydropower, solar, biomass, and geothermal -- generated 795 million MWh of electricity last year, while nuclear accounted for 778 million MWh, according to data from the Energy Department's Energy Information Administration (EIA).

New utility-scale solar and wind accounted for the increase in generating capacity for renewables. The EIA data did not include any small-scale or distributed solar power generation.

Natural gas remains the most prevalent source for electricity generation in the U.S. with 1,474 MWh in 2021. Coal-fired generation increased for the first time since 2014 and generated more electricity than both renewables and nuclear.

Wind generation increased by 12% in 2021 while utility-scale solar increased by 28%. Hydropower, meanwhile, fell to its lowest level since 2015 as drought conditions in the West affected production.