Zero. That’s how many clean energy projects West Virginia completed last year, according to the American Clean Power annual report. Only two other states, Wyoming and North Dakota, added none.
Some states, such as Virginia, added hundreds, while Texas and California added thousands.
However, West Virginia has more operating clean energy capacity – enough to power 750,000 homes – than Kentucky or Maryland.
And the state’s percentage of power that comes from wind and solar, at 3.7 percent, is greater than Kentucky, Ohio or Pennsylvania.
The report projects that the Inflation Reduction Act will catalyze as much as 550 gigawatts of new wind, solar and battery storage projects nationwide through 2030, bringing the total to about 750 gigawatts — more than double what currently exists.
Last year, wind and solar produced 15 percent of U.S. electricity. Natural gas is currently the dominant fuel used to produce power.
For now, West Virginia produces the vast majority of its electricity from coal.