Which States Produce the Most Renewable Energy?

Countries around the world are increasing renewable energy production to mitigate climate change. In the U.S., renewable energy production has nearly tripled over the past decade, although clean energy advocates fear this growth could slow during President-elect Trump's second term.

However, progress on renewable energy varies from state to state. Some states get more than half their power from renewables, while others get only a few percent. Here are the latest statistics on renewable energy use by state, including how much they produce and energy industry goals for states that have them.

Production by state

Renewable energy production by state

The map and table below shows the amount of renewable energy each state produced over the most recent one-year period on record at the time of writing (October 2023 through September 2024). It also shows the percentage of each state's total power that came from renewable energy sources.

Types of renewable energy

States also vary in the types of renewable energy they produce. For example, California's biggest renewable energy source is solar energy. Texas, on the other hand, is known for wind energy.

In the tables below, you'll also see "wood and wood-derived fuels," which are usually the byproducts of lumber and paper milling. "Other biomass" includes other plant-derived materials, including agricultural crops and waste, materials from municipal solid waste, animal manure, and human waste.

You may notice that we haven't included hydroelectric power in these tables despite it being a notable renewable energy source that provides 5.6% of the power in the U.S. However, while hydro is renewable, there's debate over whether it's sustainable. Because of this and the fact that the U.S. Energy Information Administration lists hydro separately from other renewables, we've opted to omit it from these statistics.

Ranking states by renewable energy production

Renewable energy production by state

Let's take a closer look at every state, where they rank for renewable energy use, and their largest renewable energy sources.

Editor’s note: Energy generation data is sourced from the Energy Information Administration. The breakdowns by source may not add up to renewable energy generation totals for each state.

Alabama's renewable energy production

Alabama produced 4,501 thousand megawatt hours of electricity using renewable energy sources. That made up 3.2% of its total electricity, which ranked 44th.

Alaska's renewable energy production

Alaska produced 171 thousand megawatt hours of electricity using renewable energy sources. That made up 2.5% of its total electricity, which ranked 46th.

Arizona's renewable energy production

Arizona produced 12,446 thousand megawatt hours of electricity using renewable energy sources. That made up 10.5% of its total electricity, which ranked 25th.

Arkansas's renewable energy production

Arkansas produced 2,621 thousand megawatt hours of electricity using renewable energy sources. That made up 4.1% of its total electricity, which ranked 40th.

California's renewable energy production

California produced 76,177 thousand megawatt hours of electricity using renewable energy sources. That made up 35.0% of its total electricity, which ranked 11th.

California has set a goal of 100% carbon-free electricity by 2045.

Colorado's renewable energy production

Colorado produced 22,320 thousand megawatt hours of electricity using renewable energy sources. That made up 37.1% of its total electricity, which ranked seventh.

Colorado passed SB 236 in 2019. It requires 100% carbon-free electricity by 2050 from Xcel Energy, which covers approximately 60% of the state's energy load.

Connecticut's renewable energy production

Connecticut produced 1,072 thousand megawatt hours of electricity using renewable energy sources. That made up 2.4% of its total electricity, which ranked 48th.

Connecticut has set a goal of 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040.

Delaware's renewable energy production

Delaware produced 227 thousand megawatt hours of electricity using renewable energy sources. That made up 4.8% of its total electricity, which ranked 37th.

Delaware has set a goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% from 2005 levels by 2030 and by 100% by 2050.

Florida's renewable energy production

Florida produced 20,415 thousand megawatt hours of electricity using renewable energy sources. That made up 7.7% of its total electricity, which ranked 34th.

Georgia's renewable energy production

Georgia produced 13,661 thousand megawatt hours of electricity using renewable energy sources. That made up 9.8% of its total electricity, which ranked 30th.

Hawaii's renewable energy production

Hawaii produced 1,890 thousand megawatt hours of electricity using renewable energy sources. That made up 20.6% of its total electricity, which ranked 18th.

Hawaii has set a goal of 100% renewable energy by 2045.

Idaho's renewable energy production

Idaho produced 4,026 thousand megawatt hours of electricity using renewable energy sources. That made up 22.6% of its total electricity, which ranked 15th.

Illinois's renewable energy production

Illinois produced 26,679 thousand megawatt hours of electricity using renewable energy sources. That made up 14.3% of its total electricity, which ranked 22nd.

Illinois has set a goal of 100% renewable energy by 2050.

Indiana's renewable energy production

Indiana produced 12,517 thousand megawatt hours of electricity using renewable energy sources. That made up 13.1% of its total electricity, which ranked 23rd.

Iowa's renewable energy production

Iowa produced 44,737 thousand megawatt hours of electricity using renewable energy sources. That made up 65.1% of its total electricity, which ranked first.

Kansas's renewable energy production

Kansas produced 30,553 thousand megawatt hours of electricity using renewable energy sources. That made up 51.8% of its total electricity, which ranked third.

Kentucky's renewable energy production

Kentucky produced 625 thousand megawatt hours of electricity using renewable energy sources. That made up 0.9% of its total electricity, which ranked 50th.

Louisiana's renewable energy production

Louisiana produced 2,879 thousand megawatt hours of electricity using renewable energy sources. That made up 2.8% of its total electricity, which ranked 45th.

Louisiana has set a goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Maine's renewable energy production

Maine produced 4,680 thousand megawatt hours of electricity using renewable energy sources. That made up 34.8% of its total electricity, which ranked 10th.

Maine has set a goal of 100% clean energy by 2050.

Maryland's renewable energy production

Maryland produced 1,949 thousand megawatt hours of electricity using renewable energy sources. That made up 5.3% of its total electricity, which ranked 36th.

Maryland has set a goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045.

Massachusetts's renewable energy production

Massachusetts produced 3,268 thousand megawatt hours of electricity using renewable energy sources. That made up 15.7% of its total electricity, which ranked 21st.

Massachusetts has set a goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Michigan's renewable energy production

Michigan produced 13,178 thousand megawatt hours of electricity using renewable energy sources. That made up 10.5% of its total electricity, which ranked 27th.

Michigan has set a goal of economy-wide carbon neutrality by 2040.

Minnesota's renewable energy production

Minnesota produced 18,446 thousand megawatt hours of electricity using renewable energy sources. That made up 31.1% of its total electricity, which ranked 13th.

Minnesota has set a goal of 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040.

Mississippi's renewable energy production

Mississippi produced 2,706 thousand megawatt hours of electricity using renewable energy sources. That made up 3.5% of its total electricity, which ranked 43rd.

Missouri's renewable energy production

Missouri produced 7,338 thousand megawatt hours of electricity using renewable energy sources. That made up 10.8% of its total electricity, which ranked 24th.

Montana's renewable energy production

Montana produced 5,938 thousand megawatt hours of electricity using renewable energy sources. That made up 22.4% of its total electricity, which ranked 16th.

Nebraska's renewable energy production

Nebraska produced 12,291 thousand megawatt hours of electricity using renewable energy sources. That made up 31.6% of its total electricity, which ranked 12th.

Nebraska is the only state that's served solely by publicly owned utilities. There are three public utilities in Nebraska, and they've all set a goal of net-zero carbon emissions from generation resources. The Nebraska Public Power District and the Omaha Public Power District plan to accomplish this goal by 2050, and the Lincoln Public Power District plans to do it by 2040.

Nevada's renewable energy production

Nevada produced 16,386 thousand megawatt hours of electricity using renewable energy sources. That made up 35.6% of its total electricity, which ranked eighth.

Nevada has set a goal of 100% carbon-free electricity by 2050.

New Hampshire's renewable energy production

New Hampshire produced 1,191 thousand megawatt hours of electricity using renewable energy sources. That made up 6.5% of its total electricity, which ranked 35th.

New Jersey's renewable energy production

New Jersey produced 2,405 thousand megawatt hours of electricity using renewable energy sources. That made up 3.8% of its total electricity, which ranked 42nd.

New Jersey has set a goal of 100% carbon-free electricity by 2035.

New Mexico's renewable energy production

New Mexico produced 18,402 thousand megawatt hours of electricity using renewable energy sources. That made up 46.2% of its total electricity, which ranked fourth.

New Mexico has set a goal of 100% carbon-free electricity by 2045.

New York's renewable energy production

New York produced 10,327 thousand megawatt hours of electricity using renewable energy sources. That made up 7.7% of its total electricity, which ranked 33rd.

New York has set a goal of 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040.

North Carolina's renewable energy production

North Carolina produced 14,292 thousand megawatt hours of electricity using renewable energy sources. That made up 10.7% of its total electricity, which ranked 26th.

North Carolina has set a goal of carbon neutrality in the electricity sector by 2050.

North Dakota's renewable energy production

North Dakota produced 15,142 thousand megawatt hours of electricity using renewable energy sources. That made up 34.7% of its total electricity, which ranked ninth.

Ohio's renewable energy production

Ohio produced 6,670 thousand megawatt hours of electricity using renewable energy sources. That made up 4.4% of its total electricity, which ranked 39th.

Oklahoma's renewable energy production

Oklahoma produced 39,085 thousand megawatt hours of electricity using renewable energy sources. That made up 42.3% of its total electricity, which ranked fifth.

Oregon's renewable energy production

Oregon produced 11,807 thousand megawatt hours of electricity using renewable energy sources. That made up 18.9% of its total electricity, which ranked 19th.

Oregon has set a goal to have greenhouse gas emissions reduced 100% below baseline emissions by 2040.

Pennsylvania's renewable energy production

Pennsylvania produced 6,039 thousand megawatt hours of electricity using renewable energy sources. That made up 2.4% of its total electricity, which ranked 47th.

Rhode Island's renewable energy production

Rhode Island produced 1,006 thousand megawatt hours of electricity using renewable energy sources. That made up 10.2% of its total electricity, which ranked 28th.

Rhode Island has set a goal of 100% renewable energy electricity by 2033.

South Carolina's renewable energy production

South Carolina produced 4,877 thousand megawatt hours of electricity using renewable energy sources. That made up 4.8% of its total electricity, which ranked 38th.

South Dakota's renewable energy production

South Dakota produced 11,247 thousand megawatt hours of electricity using renewable energy sources. That made up 56.3% of its total electricity, which ranked second.

Tennessee's renewable energy production

Tennessee produced 1,562 thousand megawatt hours of electricity using renewable energy sources. That made up 2.0% of its total electricity, which ranked 49th.

Texas's renewable energy production

Texas produced 158,910 thousand megawatt hours of electricity using renewable energy sources. That made up 28.6% of its total electricity, which ranked 14th.

Utah's renewable energy production

Utah produced 5,986 thousand megawatt hours of electricity using renewable energy sources. That made up 18.3% of its total electricity, which ranked 20th.

Vermont's renewable energy production

Vermont produced 945 thousand megawatt hours of electricity using renewable energy sources. That made up 37.1% of its total electricity, which ranked sixth.

Vermont requires 100% renewable energy for all utilities by 2035 and 100% renewable energy by 2030 for its two largest utilities companies: Green Mountain Power and Vermont Electric Cooperative.

Virginia's renewable energy production

Virginia produced 9,909 thousand megawatt hours of electricity using renewable energy sources. That made up 9.9% of its total electricity, which ranked 29th.

Virginia requires zero-carbon utilities by 2050.

Washington's renewable energy production

Washington produced 9,158 thousand megawatt hours of electricity using renewable energy sources. That made up 9.1% of its total electricity, which ranked 31st.

Washington requires 100% zero-emissions electricity by 2045.

West Virginia's renewable energy production

West Virginia produced 2,165 thousand megawatt hours of electricity using renewable energy sources. That made up 4.0% of its total electricity, which ranked 41st.

Wisconsin's renewable energy production

Wisconsin produced 5,587 thousand megawatt hours of electricity using renewable energy sources. That made up 8.3% of its total electricity, which ranked 32nd.

Wisconsin has set a goal of 100% carbon-free electricity by 2050.

Wyoming's renewable energy production

Wyoming produced 9,469 thousand megawatt hours of electricity using renewable energy sources. That made up 22.5% of its total electricity, which ranked 17th.

Related topics in energy

Renewables are on the rise

While production levels vary from state to state, as a whole, the U.S. is getting more of its energy from renewable sources. That trend should continue since the Inflation Reduction Act provides $369 billion for clean energy investments. There are also more states setting their own clean energy goals, so production of renewable energy should continue to increase going forward.

Sources

• Clean Energy States Alliance (2024). "Table of 100% Clean Energy States."
• U.S. Energy Information Administration (2024). "Electricity Data Browser."