Charged up
Electricity generated from renewable sources — wind, hydro, solar, geothermal and biomass — surpassed coal for the first time ever in the US last year, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) announced on Monday.
Clearly, things are moving in the right direction environmentally, though critics argue the shift isn’t steep enough. Just yesterday, the International Renewable Energy Agency warned that global investment in renewables must increase from 2022’s record $1.3 trillion spend to $5 trillion each year in order to stay below the 1.5°C warming threshold.
Power shift
Renewables are at the center of the growing climate conversation, as policymakers continue to cut down on fossil fuels which account for over 75% of global greenhouse gas emissions. While natural gas, America's primary source of electricity production, has helped relieve reliance on coal-fired power plants, renewables are held as a more impactful way to curb emissions.
It's been a big few years for renewables after they surged above nuclear in 2021, as the continued growth of wind and solar power helped propel the eco-friendlier electric sources to second place in domestic production. Renewable resources made up 21% of the ~4 billion megawatthours of electricity produced in the US last year, compared to coal’s 20% and nuclear’s 19% — they're still, however, some way off natural gas’s 39% share.
