Solar outpaced coal in US electricity for the first time in May

In May, for the first time, solar power supplied more of the United States' electricity than coal. Solar accounted for 12.8% of generation while coal supplied 12.2%, according to data released on Wednesday by the global energy thinktank Ember and reported by the Associated Press.

A milestone in the power mix

Coal's 12.2% share was its fourth-lowest monthly figure on record. Nicolas Fulghum, a senior energy and data analyst at Ember, said solar also became the third-largest source of electricity in the country in May, behind natural gas and nuclear. Coal generation hit an all-time monthly low in April and rebounded only modestly in May.

“For years solar power has risen in the US electricity mix,” Fulghum said. “At the same time, coal power has lost its status.” He expects more months in which solar beats coal before solar overtakes coal on an annual basis within a few years.

Growth continues despite federal policy

Solar has been the leading source of new generating capacity in the US for five years, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). In a report with the analytics firm Wood Mackenzie, SEIA said solar and battery storage made up 91% of all new generating capacity added in the first quarter.

The milestone comes as electricity demand rises again after about two decades of broadly flat consumption, driven by data centers for artificial intelligence and by domestic manufacturing. Fulghum said the numbers show solar “has staying power” at a time when there is less federal support for renewable energy.

Washington pushes the other way

Last week Donald Trump announced a plan to support the US coal industry with nearly $700m for coal-fired power plants and coal exports, saying that “coal's a great business” and that “in terms of power, there's really nothing like it”. His administration has cancelled solar and wind projects and terminated $7bn in funding for affordable solar projects.

A White House spokeswoman, Taylor Rogers, said the administration's policies were aimed at strengthening national security and that Trump had “saved the American coal industry” and prevented the retirement of more than 17 gigawatts of power. Martin Pochtaruk, chief executive of Canadian panel maker Heliene, countered that investors put their money where returns are best — and for power generation that is solar.