According to a recent analysis from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the U.S. produced a record amount of energy last year, totaling 103 quadrillion British thermal units (BTUs).
The amount of energy produced in 2024 surpassed the previous record set in 2023 by 1%. However, while U.S. energy production is up, including for solar and wind sources, several other types of renewable energy sources stalled or even declined in 2024.
According to the analysis, natural gas accounted for most of the energy production in the U.S. in 2024, making up 38% of the energy mix. Natural gas has been the country’s largest source of produced energy since 2011, EIA reported.
This was followed by crude oil, which made up 27% of the domestically produced energy mix in the U.S. last year.
Coal reached its lowest output for a year since 1964, totaling 512 million short tons and making up 10% of total energy production in the U.S.
On the renewables front, solar, wind and biofuel energies each separately set records in 2024. Solar capacity increased 25%, while wind capacity increased 8%. Biofuels reached 1.4 million barrels per day of production, an increase of 6% compared to the previous records set for biofuels in 2023.
Other renewable energy sources did not beat records, though. As EIA reported, “Output from other energy sources that are primarily used for electric power generation either peaked decades ago (hydropower and nuclear) or fell slightly from their 2023 values (geothermal).”
Earlier in 2025, EIA predicted that solar and wind capacity would continue to grow this year, with utility-scale solar capacity expected to add 32.5 gigawatts, utility-scale wind capacity to add 7.7 gigawatts and battery storage to add 18.2 gigawatts.
However, the U.S. could face challenges to expanding renewables and reducing reliance on fossil fuels as the current administration has planned to suspend permits and leases for wind energy projects and has proposed opening up National Petroleum Reserve lands in Alaska for fossil fuel extraction.
Meanwhile, renewable energy is in high demand globally. Earlier this year, China invested more money into renewable energy sources over coal from overseas for the first time, and the country has set a record for new solar and wind installations in 2023 and again in 2024. In the EU, electricity generation from solar power surpassed electricity from coal power in 2024 for the first time.
Experts have predicted that renewables will continue to grow in the U.S. and abroad, but poor policies could cause the U.S. to fall behind in the global clean energy transition, leading to $50 billion of lost exports.
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