Renewable energy is producing more electricity than coal for the first time in the U.S. thanks largely to the growth of wind and solar energy. Combined renewable energy from wind, hydropower, solar, biomass and geothermal is also producing more electricity than nuclear power for the second year in a row.
Natural gas remains the No. 1 source in the U.S. for electricity, but the gains in wind and solar energy are significant. California produced more than a quarter of the nation’s solar electricity, followed by Texas and North Carolina.
Texas accounted for more than a quarter of the nation’s wind generation, followed by Iowa and Oklahoma. Wind power produces the most renewable energy, followed by hydropower.
Experts assume wind and solar will continue to grow, but they both still have a significant gap to close before catching up to natural gas which also increased year-over-year.
Combined wind and solar amount to 14% of the country’s electricity generation, followed by hydropower at 6%. Natural gas produces more than a third of the nation’s power.
The cost of renewables is getting considerably cheaper. Over the past decade, the cost of wind energy declined by 70%. Meanwhile, costs associated with solar power declined by 90%.
The Energy Information Administration predicts coal will continue to decline, largely because coal plants are closing and there’s a push to phase out the use of coal due to impacts on the environment.
