Data

A data notebook in four questions, June 2026 snapshot. Sources: EIA, FRED, LBNL, BloombergNEF, BEA, Census, BLS, EPA, NOAA/Scripps, NASA GISS, World Bank.

How fast is renewable energy displacing fossil fuels?

Wind and utility-scale solar set a record 17% of US electricity generation in 2025: wind 464 TWh, solar 296 TWh (up 34.5%), 760 TWh combined, versus 216 TWh in 2015. Coal's share fell from 48% in 2008 to 16.6% in 2025. Grid battery capacity grew from 221 MW in 2015 to 42.8 GW in 2025, with pack prices down 72% ($384 to $108 per kWh). A record 86 GW of capacity additions are planned for 2026, 92% of it solar, batteries, and wind. (EIA, BNEF)

Is AI demand the best thing to happen to clean energy?

US data center electricity use rose from 58 TWh in 2014 (1.9% of demand) to about 215 TWh in 2025 (5.1%), projected to 325-580 TWh by 2028, roughly half of all US demand growth to 2030. Corporate clean power purchase agreements grew from 5.4 GW signed in 2017 to a record 62 GW in 2024; Amazon, Meta, Google, and Microsoft bought 49% of 2025 volume. Hyperscalers have contracted 16.5 GW of firm nuclear, geothermal, and fusion power (Meta 7.7, Amazon 6.9, Google 1.0, Microsoft 0.9), including 13 announced nuclear data center projects and the Three Mile Island restart targeted for 2027. (LBNL, IEA, EIA, BloombergNEF)

Is building more housing actually good for the environment?

US housing permits rose from 1.03M in 2015 to a 1.72M peak in 2021, settling at 1.43M in 2025, with multifamily (464K) up and single-family (912K) down. Construction payrolls grew from 5.5M jobs in 2010 to 8.3M in 2025. Houston permits 14.1 homes per 1,000 residents versus San Francisco's 2.1. (FRED, Census)

Can an economy grow while cutting carbon emissions?

Since 1990 US GDP grew from $5.96T to $30.76T while carbon intensity fell 64%, from 0.45 to 0.16 kg CO2 per dollar. US energy CO2 in 2025 (4.90 billion metric tons) remained below the 1990 level (5.04). Real manufacturing output rose from $1.95T in 2010 to $2.78T in 2025. Average US PM2.5 fell 43%, from 13.4 to 7.6 micrograms per cubic meter (2000-2024). (BEA, EIA, FRED, EPA)

Planetary vital signs, June 2026

Global population approximately 8.30 billion, growing 189,000 per day (World Bank/UN). Atmospheric CO2 432.3 ppm at Mauna Loa, May 2026 (NOAA/Scripps). 2025 global temperature anomaly +1.19 C above the 1951-1980 baseline; 2024 holds the record at +1.28 C (NASA GISS).