According to a recent report from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), renewable energy generation has surpassed nuclear energy generation in the United States for the first time.

Renewable sources generated 795 million megawatt-hours (MWh) of electricity in the United States in 2021, surpassing nuclear, which generated 778 million MWh. As a result of utility, commercial, and residential scale projects, the progressive increase in renewable energy comes primarily from wind and solar sources. Wind generation increased by 12% on the utility-scale in 2021, while solar increased by 28%. This reflects the current market demand for more renewable and sustainable energy sources.

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly 

While this is a significant milestone for the renewable energy sector, natural gas generation, while declining, remains the most common source of energy in the United States, accounting for approximately 1,474 million MWh in 2021. Many coal-fired power plants have shut down and have been declining in prevalence over the last few decades, but recently there has been a spike increase in 2021, one that hasn't been seen since 2014. The spike in coal-fired energy remains lower than figures in 2018, however. The continued droughts in the western portion of the United States have caused a decline in hydroelectric sources.

These trends are the culmination of a significant transition occurring in the energy sector in the United States. Major oil and gas companies are starting to sell their oil fields and invest billions of dollars in renewable energy. BP, Shell, Chevron, Total, Eni, and Exon are among these companies. BP spent $200 million in 2017 to acquire a 43% stake in Lightsource, a global management company for large solar energy projects. Shell spent $200 million in 2018 to acquire a 44% stake in Silicon Ranch, a US solar power company and made a $20 million equity investment in Husk Power Systems, an Indian renewable energy company. With these significant investments and the ongoing transition of traditional energy sources into the renewable energy space, we can expect significant change to continue to unfold in favor of cleaner energy.