Solar and wind power in the US surpass coal for the first time

Last year, wind and solar power generated more electricity than coal for the first time in U.S. history, according to a report from the Ember think tank. Coal as an energy resource fell to a historic low, accounting for 15% of the country’s electricity, while solar and wind combined showed 17%.

Image source: Chelsea / unsplash.com

Under Donald Trump, the U.S. federal government has begun to shift away from clean energy, but it’s possible that last year’s initiatives could maintain momentum despite the White House’s priorities. Solar power became the fastest-growing source of electricity in the country in 2024, accounting for 81% of added capacity; in the utility sector, solar presence grew by a record 31 GW. By comparison, 1 GW of capacity is equivalent to 1.9 million panels.

Solar power reached historically low costs in 2020 and was the cheapest source of electricity in most parts of the world. The supply chain for this segment remains concentrated in China, but solar module manufacturing capacity in the U.S. also grew by 190% last year. Texas, traditionally the center of the oil and gas industry, saw the largest growth in solar power and module manufacturing in the U.S.

Image source: ember-energy.org

Wind power has shown more modest growth. It still outshines solar by two to one, accounting for about 10 percent of the U.S. energy mix; it is also generally cheaper than coal or gas. Electricity demand, which has stagnated for the past 14 years due to increased energy efficiency, is now growing, up 3 percent last year, the fifth-largest jump of the 21st century.

Interest in developing more power sources across the board has been driven by the growth of energy-intensive data centers for artificial intelligence, crypto mining, and electric vehicles. Gas-fired power output rose 3.3% last year as demand increased. Coal peaked as an energy resource in 2007, but has since given way to gas, which is extracted through hydraulic fracturing. Gas-fired power produces fewer carbon emissions than coal, but remains a powerful polluter that contributes to climate change.

By 2040, the US will need to install an additional 900 GW of renewable energy sources and batteries, experts write. There is also talk of 100 GW of new gas capacity, but this direction will not help in the fight against the climate crisis. About 60% of the US energy balance still comes from fossil fuels, but the disposition is changing quickly: in 2018, coal was three times greater than solar and wind energy combined.