2030 Finance | February 10, 2017

U.S. market tips toward cleaner energy

ImpactAlpha
The team at

ImpactAlpha

Climate Finance

The US will soon be mostly powered by renewables and natural gas.

Already, half of the US energy needs are being met by renewables (15 percent) and natural gas (34 percent) energy. That represents a 12 percentage-point increase in the last five years, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance’s annual Sustainable Energy in America report.

Almost a third — 22 gigawatts — of new renewable generating capacity was added in 2016 alone, with solar plants comprising half that amount.

U.S. dependence on coal power continues to fall. Only 30 percent of US power is coal-fueled today, compared to 48 percent in 2008. The shift away from dirty fossil fuels is happening globally.

Photo: Lexey Swall