Charted: Michigan's green energy output
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Michigan generated less energy from wind last year than it did in 2022, while solar power's output was up slightly.
Why it matters: Solar and wind power are producing a comparatively small but growing share of America's overall energy supply.
State of play: The Great Lakes State generated 1,610 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity from solar power last year, up from 1,105 GWh in 2022.
- Wind power generated 8,447 GWh in 2023, down from 9,151 GWh the year prior.
The intrigue: Wind energy dropped in 2023 due to slow wind speeds in the Midwest during warmer months, Kenny Blumenfeld, senior climatologist in the Minnesota State Climate Office, told Inside Climate News.
The big picture: Solar installations generated nearly 240,000 GWh of electricity across the U.S. in 2023, per the analysis from Climate Central, a climate research nonprofit.
- That's up eightfold compared with 2014, the group says.
- Wind generation hit about 425,000 GWh last year — double that of a decade ago.
Zoom out: California, Texas and Florida are leading the country in terms of solar power generation, while Texas, Iowa and Oklahoma are the leaders in wind energy.