by Brianna Crandall — December 11, 2015—The 2014 Renewable Energy Data Book shows that U.S. renewable electricity grew to 15.5% of total installed capacity and 13.5% of total electricity generation. Displaying renewable energy trends for the United States and the world, the book provides useful insights for policymakers, analysts and investors, and can be informative for end users considering or already invested in the technology.
Published annually by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), the Data Book illustrates United States and global energy statistics, including renewable electricity generation, renewable energy development, clean energy investments, and technology-specific data and trends.
The 2014 Renewable Energy Data Book compiles recently available statistics for the 2014 calendar year. Key insights include:
- Renewable electricity accounted for more than 50% of all new U.S. electricity capacity installations in 2014.
- Solar electricity installed capacity increased by more than 54%, or 5.5 gigawatts (GW), accounting for more than 48% of U.S. renewable electricity capacity installed in 2014.
- U.S. wind electricity generation increased by 8.3% in 2014. Wind electricity capacity grew by 7.8% (4.8 GW).
- U.S. electricity capacities of biomass, geothermal, and hydropower have remained relatively stable from 2000 to 2014.
- Worldwide, solar photovoltaics (PV) and concentrating solar power (CSP) are among the fastest growing renewable electricity technologies. In 2014 alone, combined capacity increased by more than 28% globally.
The 2014 Renewable Energy Data Book is produced by NREL’s Strategic Energy Analysis Center.
