U.S. Renewables Are Set to Generate More Electricity Than Coal for the First Time

Photo: AP This is set to be the year renewables take off. A new report from the Energy Information Administration shows that electricity generation from renewables is finally set to surpass that of coal, a major milestone in the efforts to a clean energy economy. The coronavirus is helping drive this shift. The report outlines the way the pandemic has completely transformed the way the U.S. consumes and generates its energy. As people stay home and businesses remain closed, the EIA expects electricity demand to fall. With it, generation is also expected to decline by 5 percent this year. That will hit coal particularly hard, with a forecasted dip in coal electricity generation of 25 percent. That means that coal generation will make up a mere 19 percent of the sector, dropping to its lowest point in some 40 years. Meanwhile, renewables are seeing the realest come up. In 2020, the EIA projects renewables generation to jump by 11 percent because renewables are increasingly becoming the more affordable energy option. As a result, its share of electricity generation is expected to pass coal for the first time. The drop in dirty energy will also lead to a huge dip […]

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