US has its first month producing more renewable energy than coal

Signal of change / US has its first month producing more renewable energy than coal

By Jennifer Revell / 14 May 2019

April 2019 saw the US generate more renewable electricity than its coal power plants.

Although coal will still be used when demand is high, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) expects a continued decline for the US coal industry.

The clean energy think tank Energy Innovation estimates that wind and solar could replace 86% of the US coal fleet by 2025.


So what?

This signifies a pivotal change in the energy sector. If this progress continues in the following months, could we see the demand for coal entirely disappear, cutting CO2 emissions significantly and contributing towards efforts in achieving net-zero emissions?

Renewable energy has proven to be capable of offering cost-effective, reliable and decarbonised electricity. Therefore, this signifies that we can expect more clean energy breakthroughs in the future.

Additionally, clean energy in the US is emerging as a critical subject in the upcoming presidential election. Climate change is expected to play a vital role as the top issue for swaying votes. For example, Beto O’Rourke revealed plans to invest 5 trillion dollars on low carbon infrastructure in an effort to halve emissions by 2030 and achieve net-zero by 2050.

Will the elections see further promises of environmentalist legislation and, in turn, climate action?




Please register or log in to comment.

#signalofchange spotted by