Predictions that wind and solar energy in the US would eventually overtake coal in terms of how much energy is produced in a year appear to have finally come true. For the first time, it appears that solar and wind renewables will produce more energy in the U.S. than coal for the year.
Typically over the last few years, solar and wind have represented the most energy production early in the year, with coal overtaking when demand ramps up in the summer months. For 2024, that didn’t happen. Instead, solar energy ramped up 36 percent from the previous year, generating 118 terawatt-hours from January to July and wind production increased 8 percent over the same time period, generating 275 TWh. Together, solar and wind represent 16 percent of the nations’s energy production.
Scientists have repeatedly stated that shifting from fossil fuels, such as coal, to renewable energy sources, including wind and solar, is crucial to tackling the climate crisis. The impacts of climate change are being felt across the US and the wider world in the form of extreme weather, forest fires and food shortages, so the balance of energy tipping towards renewables and away from coal hasn’t come a moment too soon.
It’s also important because demand for energy in the US increased by four percent and concerns about the stability of electrical grids in states such as California and Texas have been top-of-mind amid major heat waves. Those states have been increasing power generation from solar energy from new solar-panel installations and ramping up the use of residential and industrial batteries to store the generated energy. Meanwhile, aging coal-production plants are not being replaced with new ones, although the pace of retirement of coal plants has slowed.
It’s not completely unexpected: the US Energy Information Administration says this is on track with its predictions for the next two years; it has reported that it expects solar and wind sources will continue to lead the nation in energy production.