Renewable Electricity Data by State
This webpage helps readers compare non-hydroelectric renewable electricity generation across 20 U.S. states. The table presents generation in 2023 and 2024, annual percentage change, and the contributions of different producer sectors. Its purpose is to identify which states produce the most renewable electricity and which states experienced the fastest recent growth.
| State | 2024 Generation (Thousand MWh) |
2023 Generation (Thousand MWh) |
Percentage Change | Electric Utilities (2024) |
Independent Producers (2024) |
Commercial Sector (2024) |
Industrial Sector (2024) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 79,350 | 71,348 | 11.2% | 1,751 | 75,614 | 891 | 1,095 |
| Texas | 165,753 | 149,285 | 11.0% | 2,536 | 162,591 | 35 | 590 |
| Washington | 10,410 | 9,181 | 13.4% | 4,691 | 4,993 | 10 | 716 |
| Iowa | 45,158 | 42,170 | 7.1% | 32,439 | 12,631 | 9 | 80 |
| Oregon | 12,776 | 11,955 | 6.9% | 1,646 | 10,474 | 33 | 623 |
| Oklahoma | 38,610 | 37,356 | 3.4% | 6,911 | 31,384 | -3 | 317 |
| Kansas | 29,972 | 27,420 | 9.3% | 2,741 | 27,207 | 13 | 12 |
| Colorado | 22,629 | 19,840 | 14.1% | 4,433 | 18,159 | 6 | 30 |
| New York | 10,752 | 8,663 | 24.1% | 0 | 9,922 | 671 | 159 |
| Minnesota | 18,232 | 17,628 | 3.4% | 6,665 | 10,695 | 109 | 764 |
| Illinois | 28,192 | 23,961 | 17.7% | 88 | 28,095 | 6 | 2 |
| North Carolina | 13,828 | 13,680 | 1.1% | 1,058 | 11,750 | 100 | 920 |
| Arizona | 13,546 | 9,365 | 44.6% | 1,038 | 12,458 | 16 | 34 |
| Nevada | 16,712 | 14,192 | 17.8% | 418 | 16,236 | 47 | 10 |
| New Mexico | 19,474 | 17,576 | 10.8% | 3,393 | 16,080 | 0 | 0 |
| Florida | 21,615 | 17,183 | 25.8% | 17,752 | 2,185 | 403 | 1,274 |
| Idaho | 4,531 | 3,706 | 22.3% | 445 | 3,753 | 37 | 295 |
| Maine | 5,035 | 4,320 | 16.6% | 0 | 4,361 | 4 | 669 |
| South Dakota | 12,432 | 9,439 | 31.7% | 2,426 | 9,987 | 0 | 20 |
| Hawaii | 1,846 | 1,767 | 4.4% | 96 | 1,594 | 156 | 0 |
Highlighted Data Analysis
States With the Fastest Growth
| State | 2023 | 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | 9,365 | 13,546 | 44.6% |
| South Dakota | 9,439 | 12,432 | 31.7% |
| Florida | 17,183 | 21,615 | 25.8% |
What Does the Data Show?
Arizona had the fastest growth among the selected states. Its non-hydroelectric renewable generation increased from 9,365 thousand MWh in 2023 to 13,546 thousand MWh in 2024, an increase of 44.6%.
South Dakota recorded the second-highest percentage increase at 31.7%, while Florida increased by 25.8%. However, a high growth percentage does not necessarily mean that a state generated the largest total amount of renewable electricity.
For example, Texas generated 165,753 thousand MWh in 2024, far more than these three states, but its annual growth rate was lower at 11.0%. This shows why both total generation and percentage change are necessary when evaluating renewable electricity leadership.
Glossary of Key Terms
- Renewable energy
- Energy obtained from naturally replenishing sources such as sunlight, wind, water, geothermal heat, and biomass.
- Non-hydroelectric renewable generation
- Electricity generated from renewable sources other than conventional hydroelectric power.
- Megawatthour (MWh)
- A unit of energy equal to one megawatt of electricity generated or consumed continuously for one hour.
- Electric utility
- An organization that generates, transmits, distributes, or sells electricity to customers.
- Independent power producer
- A company that generates electricity for sale but is not classified as a traditional public electric utility.
- Commercial sector
- Businesses and other commercial organizations that generate electricity for their own use or for sale.
- Industrial sector
- Manufacturing, mining, and other industrial facilities that generate electricity as part of their operations.
- Percentage change
- The relative increase or decrease between the 2023 and 2024 generation values.