Growth in wind power, by contrast, has stagnated, with the US adding less wind capacity each year than before the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act.
Even as US fossil fuel production soared to record levels last year, the vast majority of the new energy capacity the nation brought online was carbon-free.
The country brought online 48.2 gigawatts of capacity from utility-scale solar, wind and battery storage in 2024, according to a report from the research organization Cleanview; the report is based on an analysis of federal data.
“The clean-energy sector is rapidly growing globally, and halting investments can also undermine America’s competitive edge within the renewable energy market,” Nathan Schluter, an energy expert at the consumer advocacy organization Home Energy Club, said in an email.
The US had record-breaking growth in renewable-energy capacity last year, new research shows, but the future of the sector is uncertain amid threats from Donald Trump’s administration.
