Renewables Surpass Coal in U.S. Electricity Generation

For the first time, more electricity was generated from renewable sources in the U.S. over the course of one year than from coal. In 2022, renewable energy sources created more than 900 terawatt-hours of electric power in the country compared to a little over 800 that came from coal. On a global scale, a similar change is coming - renewables are projected to outweigh coal electricity generation by 2027.

Up until 2007, coal accounted for more than 2,000 terawatt hours of electricity in the U.S. before the figure started to declined as regulations around fossil fuels - limits on carbon-intensity and the emissions of toxic elements like mercury - tightened. Electricity generation from natural gas gained pace as a result since it produces somewhat less CO₂. To reach the emission goals of the net zero age, however, the U.S. has to continue growing carbon-neutral electricity sources like wind and solar, which have been on a steady upwards climb in the new millennium and are now the second biggest source of electric power in the country. Yet, while gas made up almost exactly 40 percent of U.S. electricity generation in 2022, the share of renewables just surpassed 20 percent, comparable to coal and nuclear - showing that there is a long way to go still for renewable energy.

Looking not only at electricity but energy use as a whole, this was seems even longer. Here, renewable energy is only making up 12 percent as energy sources outside of electricity - most notably petroleum in the form of gasoline - are added to the mix.