Although 2024 promises to set a new record for warming the Earth, renewable energy sources are successfully coping with the increased demand for electricity that coal-fired power plants used to fill. In the United States in 2024, for the first time, solar and wind power plants produced more energy than coal power plants for the seventh month in a row. That’s two months longer than a year ago, helped by new installed solar and wind power capacity.
Image source: Copilot
The achievement of a record result was reported by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). For the first time in the first seven months of the year, the United States produced more energy from renewable sources than from coal-fired power plants. Additionally, for two consecutive months—March and April—coal power generation was surpassed by wind power alone. Wind power generated 45.9 GWh in March and a record high 47.7 GWh in April, compared to coal power output of 38.4 GWh in March and 37.2 GWh in April.
In the United States, peak demand for electrical energy occurs in the summer months and early fall, as well as in late spring. The data for August will be decisive – will renewable energy be able to break the back of fossil energy? But as the US continues to ramp up clean energy production, a turnaround is in sight. So, if last year 18.4 GW of solar capacity was put into operation in the United States, then this year the increase will be 36.4 GW.
Similar trends are also occurring in the field of wind generation. Scientific American reports that U.S. wind power production is up about 8% from last year. As of June 2024, approximately 2.5 GW of wind capacity had been added, and a further 4.5 GW is expected to be added before the end of 2024. Representatives of Texas and California grid operators noted that despite this summer’s record heat, systems are operating consistently for the first time, for which they thank solar and wind power, as well as backup (battery) energy storage systems.