There’s a certain pride exhibited by Texans when it comes to living here. For example, Lone Star State denizens can be proud of the fact that there were more jobs created in 2022 in Texas than in any of the other 49 states.

Now, Texans who are working to save the planet take pride that Texas leads the country in the generation of renewable energy according to a report issued by the United States Energy Information Administration. Not California. Texas.

Wind energy is the biggest reason that Texas leads in the creation of sustainable energy. And, it likely won’t be too long before this state overtakes California in solar power.

Texas more than doubled what California produced in renewable energy last calendar year. The gap will only widen in the next few years as our state looks for continued increases in solar power harnessing.

• Texas created over 136,000 gigawatt-hours
• California’s nearly 53,000 gigawatt-hours.
• Iowa (45,000+)
• Oklahoma (37,500) and
• Kansas (29,500+) were third, fourth, and fifth respectively.

The state with the least creation? Kentucky with just 51 gigawatt-hours of energy created from solar and wind.

In a state known for its relentless heat in the summer, renewables help keep the power on during those all-too-familiar heat waves. In turn, those renewables, energy powered by the wind and sun, have little, if any, fuel cost. The same thing could be seen for the cold snaps that gripped the state in February 2021 and again in February 2023. Costs were kept down with renewable energy sources while the cost of coal and natural gas were higher.