A claim that wind and solar cause record electricity and energy cost increases is not supported by available data. States with large wind and solar deployment, including Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico, have seen slower electricity price growth than the national average. Iowa now gets nearly 60% of its electricity from wind and saw rates rise more slowly than most states over the past decade. Expanding renewables has cut wholesale energy costs; Texas wind and solar saved ratepayers roughly $31.5 billion from 2010–2022. Nationwide retail rates rose due to wildfire mitigation, infrastructure hardening, transmission upgrades, volatile natural gas markets, and some early expensive contracts in specific states.
According to a recent analysis by Energy Innovation, states that have leaned heavily into wind and solar like Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico have actually seen slower electricity price growth compared to the national average. Iowa, which now gets nearly 60% of its electricity from wind, saw its rates increase more slowly than 42 other states over the past decade. The idea that clean energy equals skyrocketing bills just doesn't hold up.
In fact, expanding renewables has been shown to reduce wholesale energy costs. In Texas, which has more wind capacity than any other state and rapidly growing solar, wind and solar generation saved ratepayers an estimated $31.5 billion between 2010 and 2022 including $11 billion in 2022 alone. That's not to say electricity bills aren't climbing. Nationwide, the average retail rate has jumped to 18.2 cents per kilowatt hour, up nearly 7% year-over-year and outpacing inflation.
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