In Fiscal Year (FY) 2021, federal agencies used more than 5.2 million megawatt-hours (MWh) of renewable electric energy—10% of total FY 2021 federal electricity use. The Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) helps agencies meet statutory renewable electricity requirements and accomplish their missions through investment in lasting and reliable energy-generation projects and purchases.
Total FY 2021 Renewable Electricity Use
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Federal agencies used 10% renewable electricity in FY 2021:
- 5,259,595 MWh renewable electricity out of 52,648,736 MWh total electricity used.
Federal energy performance data is from FEMP's Comprehensive Annual Energy Data and Sustainability Performance website.
Read more about the federal government's progress toward efficiency requirements.
FY 2021 Renewable Electricity Technologies
Federal agencies used 5.2 million MWh of renewable electricity generated by the following technologies.
Review the FY 2021 Renewable Technology Data
| Renewable Energy Technology | MWh | Percentage of 5.2 million MWh |
|---|---|---|
| Wind | 2,011,447 | 38.2% |
| Solar Photovoltaic | 1,656,936 | 31.5% |
| Biomass (wood and wood residuals) | 562,220 | 10.7% |
| Incremental Hydropower | 326,268 | 6.2% |
| Other Sources | 282,282 | 5.4% |
| Biogas (captured methane) | 245,200 | 4.7% |
| Geothermal | 74,342 | 1.4% |
| Agricultural Byproducts and Biodiesel (100%) | 71,742 | 1.3% |
| Municipal Solid Waste | 19,474 | 0.4% |
| Concentrating Solar Power | 9,683 | 0.2% |
| Total: | 5,259,595 | 100% |
FY 2021 Renewable Electricity Use by Agency
The following federal agencies were the top users of renewable electricity in FY 2021.
Review the FY 2021 Federal Agency Data
| Agency | Abbreviation | Renewable Electric Energy Used (MWh) |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Department of Defense | DOD | 1,915,421 |
| U.S. Department of Energy | DOE | 969,177 |
| U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs | VA | 722,475 |
| U.S. General Services Administration | GSA | 391,924 |
| U.S. Postal Service | USPS | 187,982 |
| U.S. Department of Justice | DOJ | 145,437 |
| U.S. Department of Transportation | DOT | 122,876 |
| National Aeronautics and Space Administration | NASA | 113,472 |
| U.S. Department of Health and Human Services | HHS | 97,014 |
| U.S. Department of the Interior | DOI | 88,114 |
| Other Agencies | Other | 505,703 |
| Total: | 5,259,595 |
FY 2021 Renewable Electricity Procurement Methods
Federal agencies procured 5.2 million MWh of renewable electricity using the following methods.
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Review the FY 2021 Renewable Electricity Procurement Data
| Procurement Method | MWh | Percentage of 5.2 million MWh |
|---|---|---|
| Renewable energy certificate (REC) purchases | 2,113,643 | 40.2% |
| Direct bonus and REC replacement | 1,478,331 | 28.1% |
| On-site renewable energy | 1,164,258 | 22.1% |
| Off-site renewable energy | 503,363 | 9.6% |
Renewable energy certificate (REC) purchases: RECs represent the renewable attributes of generation produced from renewable energy projects and are sold separately from commodity electricity. Agencies can purchase RECs to help achieve their renewable energy goals.
Direct bonus and REC replacement: Renewable energy that is produced on federal or Indian land and for which the agency owns the renewable attributes, referred to as on-site renewable energy, allows the agency to claim a bonus toward their renewable energy goal. An agency can own the project and RECs directly, or, if the agency gives up ownership of the RECs to another party, it can purchase replacement RECs to reclaim the bonus.
On-site renewable energy: Produced from projects on federal or Indian land where the agency owns the renewable energy attributes.
Off-site renewable energy: Includes both the renewable attributes (RECs) and the source electricity for the renewable attributes.
On-Site Renewable Energy Progress
In FY 2021, federal agencies used 1.16 million MWh of renewable electricity from on-site renewable energy projects—1.5 times more than in FY 2015, and 5 times more than in FY 2010.
Review the On-Site Renewable Energy Progress Data
| On-Site Renewable Energy (MWh) | FY 2010 | FY 2015 | FY 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solar Photovoltaic | 70,488 | 322,714 | 680,909 |
| Incremental Hydropower | 42,744 | 108,708 | 153,305 |
| Biogas (captured methane) | 34,340 | 134,829 | 107,358 |
| Wind | 59,266 | 94,135 | 87,910 |
| Biomass (wood and wood residuals) | 40 | 77,513 | 66,186 |
| Other Sources | 11,928 | 437 | 63,723 |
| Concentrating Solar Power | 252 | 254 | 4,842 |
| Geothermal | 2,069 | 30 | 25 |
| Totals (MWh): | 221,127 | 738,620 | 1,164,258 |
FY 2021 On-Site Solar Energy Generation
In FY 2021, federal agencies generated 680,909 MWh of renewable electricity with on-site solar energy projects. The top five states for federal on-site solar energy generation were California (166,708 MWh), Hawaii (80,054 MWh), Arizona (60,609 MWh), Georgia (57,085 MWh), and Maryland (43,421 MWh). Solar generation is grouped into ranges of similar output in the map below.
FY 2021 On-Site Wind Energy Generation
In FY 2021, federal agencies generated 87,910 MWh of renewable electricity with on-site wind energy projects. The top five states for federal on-site wind energy generation were Texas (65,305 MWh), Massachusetts (9,753 MWh), Utah (5,292 MWh), Wyoming (3,621 MWh), and California (2,013 MWh). Wind generation is grouped into ranges of similar output in the map below.
Federal Renewable Electricity Requirement
In accordance with Section 203 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. § 15852), each fiscal year the federal government must consume at least 7.5% of its total electricity from renewable sources—referred to as the renewable electricity requirement.
As defined in 42 U.S.C. § 15852(b), renewable electricity is electric energy generated from solar, wind, biomass, landfill gas, ocean (including tidal, wave, current, and thermal), geothermal, municipal solid waste, or new hydroelectric generation capacity achieved from increased efficiency or additions of new capacity at an existing hydroelectric project. Nonelectric or thermal renewable energy, including geothermal heat pumps, does not count toward the renewable electricity requirement, but will be tracked as an indicator for an agency’s OMB Scorecard.
For most recent requirements, see Federal Renewable Energy Use Requirement: 42 U.S.C. § 15852(a) as amended by EPAct § 203 and the Energy Act of 2020 §§ 3002(o), 3006(b)(2) of December 27,2020, 134 Stat. 2497, 2512).