Current:Home > InvestSolar and wind generated more electricity than coal for record 5 months-LoTradeCoin
Solar and wind generated more electricity than coal for record 5 months
View Date:2024-12-23 20:52:02
Solar and wind power hit a new record this year, generating more U.S. power than coal for the first five months of the year, according to preliminary data from the Energy Information Administration.
It's the first time on record that wind and solar have out-produced coal for five months, according to industry publication, E&E News, which first calculated the figures.
Official EIA data, which is released with a lag, shows wind and solar energy out-producing coal for January, February and March, while real-time figures "indicate that same trend continued in April and May," EIA spokesperson Chris Higginbotham said in an email.
- For the first time, more money is going into solar power than oil
- As renewable use rises, recycling renewable waste becoming more urgent
- USPS purchases thousands of electric vehicles and charging stations
When hydroelectric power is counted among the renewable mix, that record stretches to over six months, with renewables beating out coal starting last October, according to the EIA.
Cheaper than coal
"From a production-cost perspective, renewables are the cheapest thing to use — wind and solar. So, we're going to see more and more of these records," said Ram Rajagopal, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford University.
The figure marks a new high for clean power and a steep decline in coal-fired power generation, which as recently as 10 years ago made up 40% of the nation's electricity. And while the monthly figures are preliminary and could be revised in the coming months, according to the EIA, more renewables in the pipeline mean that coal power is set to keep falling.
"We expect that the United States will generate less electricity from coal this year than in any year this century," EIA Administrator Joe DeCarolis said in May. "As electricity providers generate more electricity from renewable sources, we see electricity generated from coal decline over the next year and a half."
For years, coal power has been declining, pushed out by increasingly cheap natural gas — also a fossil fuel — driven by a hydraulic fracturing boom. But coal saw a brief resurgence last year when natural gas prices shot up in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, leading some utilities in the U.S. and Europe to sign on coal-powered generators.
Globally, coal use reached a new high in 2022, however, its bounceback has been short-lived in the U.S., as coal plants in the country retire at a steady pace. Six coal-fueled generating units have been closed so far this year.
The retirement of coal is good news for the climate. As the most-polluting energy source, coal is responsible for more than half of carbon emissions from electricity-production, despite it making up less than 20% of the grid. However, recent research on natural gas casts doubt on its comparative "clean" status.
The Inflation Reduction Act, which dedicated billions of dollars to the expansion of clean energy, promises to boost the renewable buildout even further. But constructing more clean energy plants is only half the battle, Rajagopal said. The other half is connecting those new renewable sources to the nation's electrical grid, a process that is taking longer and longer.
Connecting to the grid
On average, a project — such as a wind, solar or hybrid plant — that went online in 2022, waited five years from the time it requested a connection to the grid until it began commercial operations, according to a recent report from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. That's up from less than two years for projects built between 2000 and 2007, the April report found.
More than 10,000 projects representing 1,350 gigawatts of generating capacity are awaiting hookup to the grid, the vast majority of those zero-carbon, the LBNL said.
- Wind energy powered the U.K. more than gas for first time
- China's ongoing "coal boom" risks "climate disasters," Greenpeace says
- French nuclear energy firm reports crack in pipe at aging plant
"There are many hundreds of gigawatts of projects in interconnection queues of the United States," Rajagopal said.
"Even if we wanted to accelerate [renewables] more, there is this pipe, and we have to make sure everything fits into the pipe, and making sure it all gets approved takes time."
- In:
- Renewable Energy
- Solar Power
- Wind Power
veryGood! (88)
Related
- Human head washes ashore on Florida beach, police investigating: reports
- Denver police seek help finding a former funeral home owner after body kept in hearse for 2 years
- What is the hottest pepper in the world? Pepper X, Carolina Reaper ranked on the spice scale
- California man arrested and accused of threatening Arizona election worker after 2022 vote
- Pennsylvania House Republicans pick new floor leader after failing to regain majority
- Alaska man found guilty of first-degree murder in violent killing captured on stolen memory card
- Reigning Olympic champ Suni Lee headlines USA Gymnastics Winter Cup. What to know
- Judge in Trump fraud case denies request to pause $354 million judgment
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Good Try (Freestyle)
- Government shutdown threat returns as Congress wraps up recess
Ranking
- Fire crews on both US coasts battle wildfires, 1 dead; Veterans Day ceremony postponed
- 3.2 magnitude earthquake recorded in Fremont, California; felt in San Jose, Bay Area
- Jelly Roll announces Beautifully Broken tour: Here are the dates, how to get tickets
- A judge has dismissed Fargo’s challenge to North Dakota restrictions on local gun control
- King Charles III celebrates 76th birthday amid cancer battle, opens food hubs
- Community Opposition and Grid Challenges Slow the Pace of Renewable Efforts, National Survey of Developers Shows
- A work-from-home tip: Don’t buy stocks after eavesdropping on your spouse’s business calls
- What to know for WWE Elimination Chamber 2024: Date, US time, how to watch, match card
Recommendation
-
Federal judge blocks Louisiana law that requires classrooms to display Ten Commandments
-
Collapse of illegal open pit gold mine in Venezuelan jungle leaves multiple people dead
-
Ex-FBI source accused of lying about Bidens and having Russian contacts is returned to US custody
-
Your Summer Tan Is Here: Dolce Glow's Founder on How to Get the Perfect Celeb-Loved Bronze at Home
-
Mississippi woman pleads guilty to stealing Social Security funds
-
Frog and Toad are everywhere. How 50-year-old children's characters became Gen Z icons
-
Virginia House and Senate pass competing state budgets, both diverge from Youngkin’s vision
-
This Is Your Last Chance To Save an Extra 30% off Michael Kors’ Sale Section, Full of Dreamy Bags & More