The 55th Earth Day is Tuesday, and the theme this year focuses on renewable energy — “Our Power, Our Planet.” Today we look at renewables in the U.S.

This map by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory shows generalized areas that contain some of the most abundant renewable energy resources in the lower 48 states. The lab is the U.S. Department of Energy's primary facility for power systems research and development. The lab says it focuses on security and reliability. It aims to lead energy systems integration and innovation — enhancing existing technologies and developing new solutions that unlock economic opportunity and fuel America’s global competitiveness.

In 2023, the share of electricity production from renewables in the U.S. was 22.7%.

Figures for other countries: Japan, 23.8%; France, 26.2%; China, 30.1%; Germany, 52.4%; Canada, 66.1%; Brazil, 88.7%; Norway, 98.5

What is renewable energy?

Renewable energy is power from sources that are naturally replenishing. They are virtually inexhaustible but are limited by availability.

Biomass Wood and wood waste Municipal solid waste Landfill gas and biogas Biofuels Hydropower Geothermal Wind Solar

U.S. primary energy consumption by source, 2023

According to the Energy Information Administration, renewables provided about 9%, or 8.2 quadrillion British thermal units, of total U.S. energy consumption in 2023.

The electric power sector accounted for about 39% of total U.S. renewable energy consumption, and about 21% of electricity generation was from renewable sources. Energy Information Administration renewable energy projections show the U.S. increasing to 15.3 quadrillion units by 2035.

What role does renewable energy play in the United States? The chart below shows that until the mid-1800s, wood was the source of nearly all the nation's energy needs for heating, cooking and lighting. From the late 1800s until today, fossil fuels — coal, petroleum and natural gas — have been the primary sources of energy. Hydropower and wood were the most used renewable energy resources until the 1990s. Since then, U.S. energy consumption from biofuels, geothermal generation, solar and wind sources has increased.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory has its roots in the 1970s oil crisis.

In 1974 President Gerald Ford signed a bill to create its precursor, the Solar Energy Research Institute.

The 2021 budget for the lab was $464.3 million, with these amounts in millions going to renewable energy research:

Solar energy: $122.4

Wind power: $30

Bioenergy: $56.3

Hydrogen and fuel cells: $17.6

Geothermal: $1.8

Water power: $15.8