Combined Wind And Solar Power Generation in The US Has Already Exceeded Coal Power This Year

In the first five months of the year, the United States set a record for renewable energy by generating more electricity from solar and wind than from coal.
According to foreign media reports, official data from the US Energy Information Administration shows that wind and solar energy production exceeded that of coal in January, February and March, while preliminary data shows the same trend in April and May.
In terms of data, from January to May, wind and solar generated a total of 252 terawatt-hours, compared to 249 terawatt-hours for coal.
Clean energy has overtaken coal power before, first in 2020 and a second time in 2022, but only if hydro power is included. This is the first time that solar and wind have reached the benchmark on their own.
Add hydropower to the tally and renewables have actually been outpacing coal for the past six months, since October 2022.
EIA Director Joe DeCarolis expects the trend to continue this summer and beyond.
"We expect the U.S. to generate less electricity from coal this year than any year this century," DeCarolis said in his May forecast." We see less electricity being generated from coal over the next year and a half as electricity suppliers generate more power from renewable sources."
The focus on carbon-neutral resources, combined with the low cost of natural gas and the closure of many coal plants, has removed coal from favour.
There was a brief recovery last year when Russia's invasion of Ukraine led to a spike in gas prices. But coal's demise "has been faster than anyone expected," Andy Blumenfeld, industry analyst at McCloskey by OPIS, told E&E News.
Just 15 years ago, coal accounted for nearly half of the electricity generated in the United States. By 2021, that number drops to about 22 percent, according to the EIA. Last year, coal accounted for just 20 per cent of domestic electricity generation, compared to 14 per cent for wind and solar.
Natural gas remains the country's largest source of electricity, accounting for around 39% of electricity in 2022.