More than 80% of Idaho’s in-state electricity generation comes from renewables

More than 80% of Idaho’s in-state utility-scale electricity generation came from renewable resources in 2018, the second-largest share of any state in the country, behind only Vermont, according to recently released data from EIA’s Electric Power Monthly. Idaho generated 17.4 million megawatthours (MWh) of electricity in 2018, of which 14.2 million MWh came from renewable sources. Idaho uses a variety of renewable resources to generate electricity: Hydroelectricity. Along with neighboring Washington, Oregon, and Montana, Idaho is a leading U.S. producer of hydroelectricity. The state ranked seventh in the nation in electricity generation from hydropower in 2018. About half of Idaho’s electricity generating capacity is at hydroelectric power plants and 7 of the state’s 10 largest power plants (in terms of electricity generation) are hydroelectric facilities. The nation’s largest privately owned hydroelectric generating facility is a three-dam complex on the Snake River in Hells Canyon, the deepest river gorge in North America.