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Total Renewable Energy Generation

This page of the Summary of Trends section highlights renewable energy generation. The table below ranks the states according to the total in-state renewable energy generation (including hydroelectric) for 2007.

To account for various state contextual factors, the data is displayed using four different metrics:

  • total renewable energy generation in megawatt hours (MWh)
  • renewable generation as a percent of total state electricity generation,
  • renewable generation per capita, and
  • renewable generation per gross state product (GSP).

The dataset, taken from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), includes generation from biomass, hydroelectric, geothermal electricity, nondistributed solar, and wind. Distributed solar data are not collected by EIA, and are not included in this table. Distributed solar capacity is tracked by Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) USA, and those data are referenced elsewhere on this Web site.

Total Renewable Electricity Generation

MWh Generated (2007)
Rank State MWh
1Washington82,559,749
2California52,173,008
3Oregon35,815,731
4New York28,027,638
5Texas11,932,049
6Montana9,971,057
7Idaho9,674,539
8Maine7,945,148
9Alabama7,936,734
10Arizona6,639,310
As a Percentage of Total State Electricity Generation (2007)
Rank State % of Total
1Idaho84.2%
2Washington77.2%
3Oregon65.0%
4South Dakota50.0%
5Maine49.3%
6Montana34.5%
7California24.7%
8New York19.2%
9Alaska19.1%
10Vermont19.1%

Per Capita (2007)
Rank State MWh/Capita
1Washington12.8
2Montana10.4
3Oregon9.6
4Idaho6.5
5Maine6.0
6South Dakota3.9
7North Dakota3.0
8Wyoming2.8
9Alaska1.9
10New Hampshire1.8
Per GSP (MWh/M$) (2007)
Rank State MWh/$M
1Montana291.1
2Washington265.2
3Oregon226.4
4Idaho189.1
5Maine165.2
6South Dakota90.4
7North Dakota70.0
8Arkansas51.0
9Alabama47.9
10Wyoming47.1

Source: EIA 2009

For more information, you can access the full report "State of the States 2009: Renewable Energy Development and the Role of Policy" (PDF 4.2 KB). Download Adobe Reader.