Solar crushed 2024, but emissions were up as industry used more natural gas

image via TechCrunch

February 20, 2025, 10:15 PM

• •The U.S. invested a record-breaking $338 billion in the energy transition last year, according to a new report.
• •Solar took the lead, adding 49 gigawatts of new electrical generating capacity in 2024, far more than any other technology.
• •At the same time, demand for natural gas was up 1.3%, enough to nudge U.S. carbon emissions higher by half a percent.

The U.S. invested a record-breaking $338 billion in the energy transition last year, but it wasn’t quite enough to lessen the country’s overall carbon emissions. Solar took the lead, adding 49 gigawatts of new electrical generating capacity in 2024, far more than any other technology. At the same time, demand for natural gas was up 1.3%, enough to nudge U.S. carbon emissions higher by half a percent.

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