Ignoring pandemic, Americans installed record amounts of solar and wind energy

Massive blackouts in the Southwest this week have thrown renewable energy into the spotlight. Some conservatives have tried to pin Texas' electricity grid failures on wind power, while industry analysts and environmentalists point to problems with natural gas and coal plants during the snowstorm as an argument for more, not less, renewable power.

Amid the finger-pointing, the market is offering its own answers. The U.S. added a record amount of wind and solar energy last year even as the coronavirus was crippling the economy, according to figures released Thursday by...