Fossil Fuels No Longer Majority of US Electrical energy!

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Final Up to date on: twentieth April 2025, 12:00 am

The cleantech revolution continues on — each … single … day. It looks as if such a short while that we’ve gone from the large milestone of photo voltaic and wind energy offering greater than 50% of latest energy capability additions within the US to photo voltaic and wind energy now offering nearly 100% of latest energy capability additions within the US. Although, even throughout all of that progress, the tough factor to have a look at is how slowly it takes to transition the precise electrical energy technology provide. So, it’s notably uplifting to see that final month, we crossed one other huge milestone — lower than 50% of US electrical energy was produced by fossil fuels for the primary time on document.

Naturally, whereas photo voltaic and wind energy alone didn’t present the vast majority of the nation’s electrical energy (but), they did attain new month-to-month data. Collectively, they accounted for twenty-four.4% of whole US electrical energy technology. The expansion simply retains going regular, and even dashing up. Electrical energy from solar energy grew by 37% in March yr over yr (by 8.3 terawatt-hours) whereas electrical energy from wind energy grew by 12% (or 5.7 terawatt-hours). Taking a look at 2024 as an entire, photo voltaic and wind energy mixed for 17% of US electrical energy technology. So, even in comparison with final yr, photo voltaic and wind are in complete new territory.

“In March 2025, fossil fuels accounted for lower than 50% (49.2%) of electrical energy generated, for the primary month on document. This surpasses the earlier month-to-month document low of 51% set in April 2024,” Ember writes. Electrical energy from fossil fuels, in the meantime, dropped by 2.5% (-4.3 TWh).

Ember notes that fossil fuels accounted for 65% of US electrical energy technology a decade in the past (in March 2015). I truly bear in mind reporting on that. (How time flies!) The tempo of change appeared so glacial again then, however it’s a notable accomplishment to get fossil fuels’ share down from 65% to 49% in a decade. May or not it’s quicker? Definitely!

Solar energy, in the meantime went from 1% of US electrical energy to 9.2% of US electrical energy in that decade. Once more, after I was producing month-to-month electrical energy technology stories and we had been at simply 1% for photo voltaic, it was straightforward to be pessimistic and bitter, however we had been excited to spotlight solar energy’s fast progress and a few optimistic long-term projections. (I truly recall engaged on a report that included that 1% determine for photo voltaic whereas using on a tram in Poland.) Time has proven that we’d make monumental progress, and the approaching decade will once more present a fast rise in solar energy’ share of US electrical energy technology — in truth, it ought to gobble up market share even quicker.

“It is a first sign that the US is approaching a tipping level the place clear energy takes the lead over fossil technology, and the place the significance of coal and fuel inevitably begins to fade. Wind and solar energy are pushing fossil fuels out of the combination. The truth on the bottom just isn’t one in every of a return to fossil fuels within the US, it’s the continued progress of photo voltaic and wind energy that would be the dominant driver of electrical energy technology progress within the US,” Nicolas Fulghum, ‍Senior Information Analyst at Ember, added. I just like the quote loads — that’s why I included it — however I’ve to say this isn’t the primary sign. We’ve been seeing indicators that that is the place we’re headed for no less than a decade.

Keep tuned. The enjoyable is simply starting!