Since 2008, the DOE has been tracking America’s clean energy output through a series of annual assessments. And our 2015 report card paints a rosy picture for what was the hottest year in our planet’s history. Wind and solar power, whose costs have fallen 41 to 64 percent since 2008, accounted for two thirds of all new electricity production last year. Other clean energy technologies, like grid-scale batteries and hydrogen fuel cells, are finally becoming advanced enough for practical use.
Land-based wind power is having a golden moment, with 74,000 megawatts (MW) of new turbines installed last year—enough to light up over 17 million households and save America 132 million tonnes of carbon pollution. All told, wind power production has tripled nationwide since 2008, now accounting for over 5 percent of our total electricity generation. [...]
Much of this progress can be attributed to the falling costs of the aforementioned technologies, as illustrated by the chart above. But more basic research is needed to continue driving costs down and help clean energy expand further. In particular, the DOE report highlights the need for aggressive expansion of grid-scale batteries that can store extra electricity produced on windy or sunny days for another time. Other emerging technologies, like smart building controls and fuel cells, are also expected to slim down our carbon footprint once they’re ready for prime-time.
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