Charted: Michigan's green energy output

Data: Climate Central; Note: Includes both utility-scale and small-scale solar generation; Map: Axios Visuals

Michigan generated less energy from wind last year than it did in 2022, while solar power's output was up slightly.

Why it matters: Solar and wind power are producing a comparatively small but growing share of America's overall energy supply.

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State of play: The Great Lakes State generated 1,610 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity from solar power last year, up from 1,105 GWh in 2022.

• Wind power generated 8,447 GWh in 2023, down from 9,151 GWh the year prior.

The intrigue: Wind energy dropped in 2023 due to slow wind speeds in the Midwest during warmer months, Kenny Blumenfeld, senior climatologist in the Minnesota State Climate Office, told Inside Climate News .

The big picture: Solar installations generated nearly 240,000 GWh of electricity across the U.S. in 2023, per the analysis from Climate Central, a climate research nonprofit.

• That's up eightfold compared with 2014, the group says.
• Wind generation hit about 425,000 GWh last year — double that of a decade ago.

Zoom out: California, Texas and Florida are leading the country in terms of solar power generation, while Texas, Iowa and Oklahoma are the leaders in wind energy.

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