The United States produced nearly three times as much solar, wind and geothermal power in 2025—around 20 percent of the nation’s power—as we did in 2016, with growth in 49 states. That’s according to The State of Renewable Energy online dashboard, unveiled recently by Environment America Research & Policy Center and Frontier Group. The leading clean energy states are spread across the country, from South Dakota to Texas and California to Maine.
“In 2026, America is getting more power from the sun and wind than ever,” said Wendy Wendlandt, president and chairwoman of Environment America Research & Policy Center. “Renewable energy is reliable, resilient and shows up for free every day. When we replace polluting energy sources with solar and wind, it delivers a cleaner, healthier future for all Americans.”
The dashboard tracks progress in every U.S. state over the last 10 years in six areas that will be key to transitioning to a future powered entirely by clean, renewable resources: wind energy, solar energy, electric vehicles, electric vehicle charging, energy efficiency and battery storage.
“Over recent years, powering America with renewable energy has become a 50-state effort,” said Tony Dutzik, associate director and senior policy analyst for Frontier Group. “States that just a few years ago had little clean energy are rapidly adding renewables to the mix, even as leading states continue to take bold steps forward.”
Top-line findings include:
- Wind, solar and geothermal accounted for 21.4 percent of national retail electricity sales in 2025, a jump from 8 percent in 2016. South Dakota once again led all states by producing the equivalent of 95 percent of its retail electricity sales from wind, solar or geothermal. More states than ever – 32 in total – now get 10 percent or more of their electricity from renewables.
- South Dakota, Iowa, Wyoming, Kansas and New Mexico were the top five states for total renewable electricity generation as a percentage of retail sales in 2025.
- America had 77 times as much utility-scale battery storage in 2025 as it did in 2016, with a 58 percent increase in 2025.
- There were more than 4.5 million electric vehicles on American roads at the end of 2024 – a 15-fold increase from 2016.
- America produced enough solar energy to power 36 million homes in 2025 – seven times as much as in 2016, largely thanks to a 28 percent increase in 2025.
“When we replace polluting technologies with efficient ones powered by renewable energy, we help to build a safer and healthier America,” said Johanna Neumann, senior director of Environment America Research & Policy Center’s Campaign for 100 percent Renewable Energy.
