Clean Energy Facts
Renewable energy is generated from a source that can be replenished easily. Clean energy refers to renewable energy that also creates little or no pollution or carbon emissions, such as solar, wind, and geothermal power.*
Renewable energy sources provide 13% of US electricity.*
Wind power production grew 8.1% in 2015. The US Energy Information Administration predicts a 13% increase in 2015, and another 11% in 2016.*
If 4% of the world’s desert regions were covered with photovoltaics, electricity demands would be met for the entire globe.*
Ten states throughout the US, as well as the District of Columbia, currently have policies in place that support community solar projects. Many more have such policies in the works.
Many states offer support and incentives to promote renewable energy in many forms. To learn more about the incentives available in your state, visit the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency. www.dsireusa.org
There is currently a 30% federal investment tax credit (ITC) available for the development of solar systems on residential and commercial properties. At the end of 2016, this credit will be reduced to 10%, creating a strong incentive for projects to begin over the next year.*
Geothermal energy plants use steam from thousands of feet below the earth’s surface to power turbines that generate electricity on utility scales. This term is also commonly used to describe ground source heat pumps (GSHP), even though they are not technically powered by geothermal energy. GSHPs are a smaller-scale heating and cooling system that moves heat through pipes less than twenty feet underground, where temperatures are stable and warm from stored solar energy.
*Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (www.eia.gov)
