Electricity demand in the United States grew by 3 percent (+128 TWh) in 2024, driven by summer heatwaves and a rebound from mild 2023 conditions when demand had fallen.
The demand increase was mainly met with higher solar, wind, and gas generation, which offset a fall in coal generation (-22 TWh), according to Ember report.
The US saw its largest-ever increase in solar generation in 2024 (+64 TWh), the second-largest globally after China, driven by Inflation Reduction Act-supported capacity growth.
Wind generation rose due to better wind conditions and moderate capacity growth.
Gas generation increased by 3.3 percent (+59 TWh), the largest rise in gas generation globally in 2024 and accounting for 57 percent of the global increase.
Coal power has declined two-thirds since its 2007 peak, dropping below 15 percent of the US electricity mix for the first time in 2024.
Since 2007, coal power was replaced by 722 TWh of wind and solar and 968 TWh of gas generation; gas output doubled in that time.
The US has contributed 43 percent of global gas generation growth since 2015.
Power sector emissions fell 18 percent from 2015 to 2024, declining from 2,062 MtCO2 to 1,683 MtCO2, but not as quickly as coal use due to gas reliance.
Wind and solar tripled since 2015 (+527 TWh), generating 757 TWh in 2024 and surpassing coal in share of electricity for the first time.
US electricity demand has grown in three of the last four years, averaging 1.8 percent annually.
Clean electricity growth came only from wind and solar, as nuclear, hydro, and bioenergy generation declined from 2015 levels.
The US generated 42 percent of its electricity from clean sources in 2024, matching the global average; wind and solar made up 17 percent, slightly above the global average but below China.
58 percent of US electricity came from fossil fuels, mainly gas, which supplied 43 percent (1,865 TWh) of the total – over double the gas generation of all other G7 countries combined.
US electricity had a carbon intensity of 384 gCO2/kWh in 2024, well below the global average due to greater use of gas over coal.
The US had the 11th highest per capita electricity demand globally at 12.7 MWh in 2024, its highest since 2014 and double that of the EU.
Power sector emissions per capita in the US were 4.9 tCO2 in 2024, more than twice the global average of 1.8 tCO2.
GreentechLead.com News Desk