The amount of electricity generated by renewable energy sources in the United States surpassed the amount generated by coal or nuclear energy for the first time in 2020. Natural gas remained the most common source of electricity.

Source: “Electricity explained: Electricity in the United States,” U.S. Energy Information Administration, March 18, 2021, https://tinyurl.com/jvn6723j

Data for the graphic are as follows:

Year	Amount from Coal	Amount from Natural Gas	Amount from Nuclear Power	Amount from Renewable	Amount from Petroleum/Other
2000	1,966	601	754	356	124
2001	1,904	639	769	288	137
2002	1,933	691	780	343	111
2003	1,974	650	764	355	141
2004	1,978	710	789	351	142
2005	2,013	761	782	358	142
2006	1,991	816	787	386	85
2007	2,016	897	806	353	85
2008	1,986	883	806	381	63
2009	1,756	921	799	418	57
2010	1,847	988	807	427	56
2011	1,733	1,014	790	513	49
2012	1,514	1,226	769	495	44
2013	1,581	1,125	789	522	49
2014	1,582	1,127	797	539	50
2015	1,352	1,333	797	544	50
2016	1,239	1,378	806	609	44
2017	1,206	1,296	805	687	40
2018	1,149	1,469	807	707	46
2019	965	1,586	809	728	39
2020	774	1,617	790	792	36

close window