US renewable electricity output

From 2002 to 2021, as renewable electricity generation rose, the number of US golf courses fell, producing a negative correlation of 0.97 that solar panel manufacturers have wisely chosen not to use in their marketing. The implication — that wind turbines are replacing golf courses in the American landscape — is only occasionally true in the physical sense. Spiritually, however, the exchange seems reasonable: vast tracts of maintained grass versus clean energy. One of these is harder to defend at a party.

US golf course numbers peaked around 16,000 in the early 2000s and declined to roughly 14,000 by the early 2020s, as the sport's popularity waned among younger generations and many courses became financially unviable. US renewable electricity output grew from about 300 terawatt-hours in 2002 to over 900 TWh by 2021, driven by the rapid scaling of wind and solar, federal tax incentives, and falling equipment costs. Both trends are unrelated in cause but share a 20-year window and opposing trajectories.

Progress in one sector and decline in another need not be connected to produce a compelling correlation. The golf course and the solar panel have never met, but their numbers have been in conversation for two decades.