During 2023, solar energy technologies provided 2.2% of all energy consumed in the United States. For more than 40 years, the U.S. government has heavily subsidized solar while discouraging the use of competing energy sources through taxes and regulations. Because solar panels only generate electricity when the sun is shining, and utility-scale electricity can't be easily stored, most solar power capacity must be backed-up by other energy sources that can generate electricity on demand, such as natural gas power plants. This limits solar production and increases the hidden costs of solar. In Germany, which subsidizes "green energy" more aggressively than the U.S., the average price of household electricity is about three times that of the United States.