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Wind and solar overtake coal power in the US — for good

A photo of a parking lot covered in solar panels in the US, which now gets more power from wind and solar than from coal.
Photo: Andrii Biletskyi/Dreamstime

In the first seven months of 2024, the US got more electricity from wind and solar than from coal — a historic inflection point in the world’s largest economy.

Wind and solar supplied 16% of America’s electricity needs in the year to date, slightly more than the dirtiest fossil fuel, data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) shows. The gap will increasingly widen amid a boom in renewable energy installations and a wave of coal plant closures, the stats office said previously.

“Wind and solar energy has long been the most cost-effective choice for utilities, but now it has also outpaced coal generation… further demonstrating that clean energy is critical to a reliable and affordable grid,” Sierra Club executive director Ben Jealous said in a statement.

“This historic milestone marks a significant win for clean energy advocates, for ratepayers, and for people and communities across the country that simply want to breathe clean air, drink safe water, and worry less about climate disasters like floods and wildfires.”

The US government plans to get to 80% renewable-based electricity by 2030, and a 100% carbon-free power system by 2035.

It still has a long way to go. The EIA previously estimated that in 2024, fossil gas will hold a 42% share of America’s electricity mix, followed by renewables at 24% (including hydro), nuclear at 19%, and coal at 15%.

The Inflation Reduction Act, which was signed into law in August 2022, is seen as key to accelerating the energy transition.

Some states are leading the way. According to data collated by Stanford University Professor Mark Z. Jacobson, 12 states — including the largest by economic output, California — now generate enough renewable energy each year to cover more than 50% of their electricity needs. Others, including oil-rich Texas, are closing in on that milestone.

Tags: Renewables, Solar, Wind energy
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