Solar and wind power generation has set a new record in America, with more power generated from those renewables than coal for the first five months of 2023, according to Energy Information Administration (EIA) data.
It’s the first time solar and wind production has surpassed coal for five months straight, industry publication E&E News said.
“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, as reported by CBS News.
If hydroelectric power is added to the calculations, the record extends to more than six months, with the renewables streak for surpassing coal beginning last October, the EIA said.
Ending coal generation once and for all can only do good things for the climate. Though it comprises around one-fifth of the energy grid, coal use makes up more than half of the greenhouse gas emissions from the power sector, according to data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The expansion of renewables has been turbo-charged by the Inflation Reduction Act.