A new report from Ember showed that the amount of electricity generated through solar power surpassed coal for the first time in U.S. history.
Which resources generate the most electricity?
- Gas: 37%
- Nuclear: 18%
- Solar: 12.8%
- Coal: 12.2%
What are people saying?
- Nicolas Fulghum, Senior Data Analyst at Ember: "Overtaking coal for the first month on record shows just how far solar has come, from a niche contributor to the third-largest and fastest-growing source of power in the US electricity system."
As coal use plummets, it seems solar is taking its place.
In May 2021, coal was generating nearly one-fifth of U.S. electricity. Now, it generates almost half of that.
In the past five years, however, solar has more than doubled to surpass coal. From 5.4% in May 2021, to 12.8% now, solar is on an upward trend as coal goes down.
"Overtaking coal for the first month on record shows just how far solar has come, from a niche contributor to the third-largest and fastest-growing source of power in the US electricity system," said Fulghum.
As solar made its way to third-place spot, it is still a long way away from gas, which currently sits at about 37% of the electricity produced. However, combined electricity produced by renewables surpassed gas for the first time.
This upward trend of renewable energy resources taking over the electrical grid is a big win for environmentalists and the U.S. power grid may see big changes in the future.
