It’s Friday, May 3, and renewable energy just surpassed coal.
In April, renewables outpaced coal in energy production in the U.S. for the first time — ever.
Coal is typically our second largest source of energy after natural gas. That changed this spring: Renewable energy, like hydro, solar, wind, and geothermal, is projected to exceed coal-powered energy by 325,000 megawatt-hours per day in April, and by 32,000 megawatt-hours per day in May, according to a new report by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis.
It’s not all good news: By June, coal might reclaim its spot as the second largest source of energy. That’s because coal-powered plants undergo a slow spring period as they close for maintenance to prepare for the more demanding summer. The IEEFA estimates that it will be a few years still before renewables can consistently surpass coal in energy production.
With more than 100 U.S. cities committed to running on clean energy, and with the price of solar and wind falling by 90 percent and 70 percent, respectively, in the last decade, the future’s looking bright — and powered by renewables.
The Smog
Need-to-know basis
Cyclone Fani has been battering India’s eastern coast with 127-mph winds, making it the country’s strongest storm to make landfall in two decades. More than 1 million people were evacuated to nearly 4,000 shelters, and at least two people have been found dead so far.
Scientists say that if sea levels continue to rise, nearly 500 U.S. churches built in low-lying coastal areas are at risk of flooding at least once a year by 2050. The Climate Central report shows that Louisiana, Florida, and North Carolina have many of the houses of worship in danger if greenhouse gasses continue to rise.
The Trump administration has been trying to ax all references to climate change from an international statement on Arctic policy ahead of the international Arctic Council forum next week. The U.S. plays a vital role in regulating shipping, oil and gas exploration, and other issues in the region, which is warming twice as fast as the planetary average. It’s on track to be ice-free as soon as 2030, according to a U.N. report.
