How do you calculate renewable energy percentage?

Divide renewable electricity supplied by total electricity consumption and multiply by 100. With 920,000 kWh renewable out of 2,500,000 kWh total, the renewable share is 36.8%.

What counts as renewable electricity?

Electricity backed by renewable sources you can claim: on-site solar or wind, power purchase agreements, green tariffs, and energy attribute certificates such as RECs or GOs. The credibility of each depends on your reporting standard.

What is a good renewable energy percentage for a factory?

It depends on grid and ambition. RE100 members commit to 100% by a set year. A 36.8% share is mid-journey: real progress but well short of the 50% target in this example, leaving a 13.2-point gap.

What is the difference between renewable percentage and Scope 2 emissions?

Renewable percentage is a share of energy; Scope 2 emissions are tonnes of CO2e. Raising your renewable share lowers your market-based Scope 2 figure, but the two are reported separately and a high percentage does not by itself prove low absolute emissions.

How is the gap to target calculated?

Subtract your renewable share from your target. With a 50% target and a 36.8% share, the gap is 13.2 percentage points, meaning you need renewable supply equal to 13.2% of total consumption to close it.

Should I use percentage points or percent for the gap?

Use percentage points. The gap of 13.2 here is the arithmetic difference between two percentages, not a relative change, so reporting it as points avoids confusing it with a 13.2% growth figure.

Energy & Sustainability calculator

Renewable Energy Percentage Calculator

Renewable Energy Percentage tells you what share of your plant's electricity comes from renewable sources, whether through PPAs, green tariffs, RECs, or on-site solar and wind. It is the headline number in most corporate renewable commitments such as RE100 and a core input to market-based Scope 2 reporting. Energy managers, ESG teams, and procurement use it to track progress toward a clean-power target and to decide how much more renewable supply to contract. It matters because renewable electricity is usually the fastest, most credible route to cutting a manufacturing site's Scope 2 emissions without touching the process itself.

What this calculator does

Calculate renewable electricity share from renewable kWh, total electricity use, and a target percentage.
an ESG reporting or procurement lead needs renewable electricity share against a target
It computes the percentage of total electricity that is renewable and the gap in percentage points between that share and your target.

Formula used

Renewable energy percentage = renewable electricity supplied ÷ total electricity consumption × 100
Gap to target = renewable electricity target - renewable energy percentage

Inputs explained

Renewable electricity supplied (contracts plus on-site generation):
Total site electricity consumption:
Renewable electricity target for the period:

How to use the result

Use it for quarterly or annual ESG reporting, RE100 progress tracking, or sizing the next PPA or REC purchase needed to hit a goal.
It treats all renewable kWh equally regardless of contract quality; unbundled RECs and a high-additionality on-site PPA both count the same here even though auditors may weight them differently.

Current U.S. benchmarks

Industrial electricity averages 8.66 cents per kWh across the U.S. (EIA, Apr 2026), up 5.5% from a year earlier. Energy-intensive steps carry this directly into unit cost.

Common questions

How do you calculate renewable energy percentage? Divide renewable electricity supplied by total electricity consumption and multiply by 100. With 920,000 kWh renewable out of 2,500,000 kWh total, the renewable share is 36.8%.
What counts as renewable electricity? Electricity backed by renewable sources you can claim: on-site solar or wind, power purchase agreements, green tariffs, and energy attribute certificates such as RECs or GOs. The credibility of each depends on your reporting standard.
What is a good renewable energy percentage for a factory? It depends on grid and ambition. RE100 members commit to 100% by a set year. A 36.8% share is mid-journey: real progress but well short of the 50% target in this example, leaving a 13.2-point gap.
What is the difference between renewable percentage and Scope 2 emissions? Renewable percentage is a share of energy; Scope 2 emissions are tonnes of CO2e. Raising your renewable share lowers your market-based Scope 2 figure, but the two are reported separately and a high percentage does not by itself prove low absolute emissions.
How is the gap to target calculated? Subtract your renewable share from your target. With a 50% target and a 36.8% share, the gap is 13.2 percentage points, meaning you need renewable supply equal to 13.2% of total consumption to close it.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.