According to a recent Statista report, more electricity was generated from renewable sources in US over the course of one year than from coal.
In 2022, renewable energy sources created more than 900 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electric power in the country compared to just over 800 TWh 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 TWh of electricity in US, before the figure started to decline 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. However, to reach the emission goals of the net-zero age, US 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 40% of US electricity generation in 2022, the share of renewables just surpassed 20%, comparable to coal and nuclear – showing that there is a long way to go still for renewable energy.
Looking at energy use as a whole, this seems even longer, where renewable energy is only making up 12% as energy sources outside of electricity – most notably petroleum – are added to the mix.