Renewable energy (excluding hydropower) is a relatively small portion of total energy supply both globally and in the United States, the installed global renewable energy capacity has more than quadrupled between 2000 and 2010.

Including hydropower, renewable energy sources represent nearly 12% of total installed capacity and more than 10% of total generation in the United States in 2010. Installed renewable energy capacity (including hydropower) is more than 137 gigawatts (GW). Not including hydropower, 2010 renewable electricity installed capacity has reached about 59 GW in the United States.

In 2010 in the United States, wind and solar photovoltaics (PV) were two of the fastest growing generation technologies. In 2010, cumulative wind capacity increased by 15% and cumulative solar PV capacity grew 71% from the previous year.

Worldwide, wind energy is one of the fastest growing renewable energy technologies—between 2000 and 2010, wind energy generation worldwide increased by a factor of 11. The United States experienced even more dramatic growth, as installed wind energy capacity increased by a factor of nearly 16 between 2000 and 2010.

In the United States, renewable energy has been capturing a growing percentage of new capacity additions during the past few years. In 2010, renewable energy accounted for more than 25% of all new electrical capacity installations in the United States—a large change from 2004 when all renewable energy captured only 2% of new capacity additions.

Since 2006, the United States has been the world’s leading ethanol producer. Between 2000 and 2010, production of corn ethanol increased by a factor of 8. Use of ethanol in the United States has also grown substantially, and it accounts for 9.4% of all gasoline and gasoline blends consumed, up from 1% in 2000.

Source: 2010 Renewable Energy Data Book

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