Final answer:
Electricity generated from wind and solar energy has notably increased in the last decade, emerging as important players in the renewable energy sector. Despite currently meeting only a small fraction of the total energy needs, their growth is driven by sustainability and low carbon emission benefits. Renewables face challenges in broader energy sectors, but continuous improvements in efficiency and cost promise increased future deployment.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the last decade, there has been a notable increase in the amount of electricity generated from alternative energy sources, specifically wind and solar energy. Both have seen a rise as key players in the non-fossil energy consumption sector in the United States. While hydroelectricity, biomass, and nuclear have been the dominant non-fossil sources, wind and solar are gaining traction due to their abundance and sustainability, despite their current small percentage of the total energy needs.
The interest in renewable energy, intensified by oil crises and climate change concerns, has led to a shift in energy generation towards sources that offer low carbon emissions and are less dependent on fossil fuels. However, the energy provided by these sources is often electricity, which represents only a fraction of the total energy demand, indicating challenges in applying these technologies to non-electricity based sectors such as transportation.
Overall, renewable energies like wind and solar show promise in terms of their potential abundance and capability to generate electricity, and are expected to continue improving in efficiency and cost-effectiveness, contributing to their future growth and deployment in the energy market.