Solar Burns Past Coal, Powering 12.8% of US Electricity in Historic First
Solar finally stole coal’s lunch money. For the first time on record, solar generated more US electricity than coal in May, supplying 12.8% of the nation’s power versus coal’s 12.2%, according to Ember. Solar also leapfrogged into the third-largest US power source last month, trailing only natural gas and nuclear.
- The milestone came despite a recent $700M federal push for coal, even as coal generation has nearly halved and solar output has more than doubled over the past five years.
- Investors took notice, sending Array Technologies, NextEra Energy Partners, and First Solar higher yesterday.
Sunny side up: Ember senior analyst Nicolas Fulghum noted, “Overtaking coal for the first month on record shows how far solar has come, from a niche contributor to one of the fastest-growing power sources in the US.” With AI data centers and electrification driving demand, Fulghum expects solar to surpass coal annually within a few years. As Heliene CEO Martin Pochtaruk put it, investors “will invest their money in whatever brings the best return,” and right now, that’s solar.
