Where does Texas stand in green power generation?

Everyone knows Texas as oil country, and they’re not wrong. The Lone Star State generated nearly 5 million barrels of crude oil per day in June, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. That was more than 41 percent of the nation’s total output. But Texas also generates a significant portion of the nation’s green power.

What are the numbers? That depends in part on which types of energy are classified as green – particularly whether nuclear power falls into the category.

• Why it should be: Electricity generation at nuclear plants produces no carbon dioxide. Some scientists maintain the only way for the U.S. to meet carbon dioxide reduction goals is through expanded use of nuclear.
• Why it shouldn’t be: It produces radioactive waste – a different kind of problem.
• The verdict: To consider Texas and its green energy both ways, excluding nuclear generation and including it.

Considering nuclear generation as a green power source (along with wind, solar, hydropower, and geothermal), Texas ranks second among states (behind only California) as a green power generator. Following are the top 10 states for green power including nuclear (in megawatt hours) and the percentage of the nation’s green power each state generates:

About 25 percent of Texas’ electricity generation in June came from these green sources. However, because Texas is such a large energy producer, that percentage is only the 34^th largest among states. Following are the 20 states in which these green sources are responsible for the largest percentages of their total electricity generation and those percentages:

Taking nuclear production out of the equation, Texas ranks third in green energy generated from the remaining sources: wind, solar, hydroelectric, and geothermal. California ranks first, with Washington second. Following are the top 10 green energy producers in megawatt hours (excluding nuclear as green) and the percentage of the nation’s green power they generate:

Using this definition of green power, Texas generates about 16.4 percent of its electricity from clean sources, the 20^th highest percentage among states. Following are the 20 states in which these green sources are responsible for the largest percentages of their total electricity generation and those percentages:

As previously mentioned, Texas is the country’s largest generator of electricity from wind, more than tripling the production of No. 2 Oklahoma. Following are the top 10 wind producers and the amount of electricity generated in megawatt hours.

Texas places fifth among states that produce electricity through solar generation. Following are the top 10 solar producers and the amount of electricity generated in megawatt hours.

As for the other green sources, Texas ranks only 43^rd for hydroelectric energy production, and it generates no geothermal energy.

For more information about how states generate electricity and other energy data, check out the Choose Energy Data Section.

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