February 28, 2025
4 Pain read
Solar and wind rise but one2 It’s still scaled – here’s why
Renewable energy broke last year’s records, but the creation of the gas did so. That is the climate problem
Wind turbines in the sunset in the desert of the palms.
Stephanie Sawyer / Getty Images
Climatewire | The wind and solar generation eclipsed coal throughout 2024, for the first time the coal of renewable energy highlighted the whole year.
Electricity carbon emissions were still risen. That is, because natural gas also implements generation records last year. The explosion of new gas encouraged greenhouse issues, compensating the lower carbon declines and set gas as the main source of climate pollution in the power industry – the other first.
Twin developments stand out from the divergent tendencies in the American electricity landscape. Renewable energy is never more important for the country’s network, accounting for almost 16% of energy generation last year. The gas, however, is increased, reflecting that many businesses see what they see, is the importance of lifting the electricity demand for data centers.
To help Science Journalism
If you enjoy this article, consider entering award-winning journalism Subscribe. By purchasing subscription, you are helping to ensure the future of stories about the discoveries and ideas that are conformed to today.
The trend is the President of Donald Trump, the regulations of pollution and commitment to repay energy cleaning grants. The change is raised questions about the potential of future emissions from central discharges, which have made climate pollution faster than any other sector of the US economy.
“I think it’s an interesting moment to think about what happened and what is happening and what it means,” Robbie Orvis said, energy innovation to report clean energy for clean energy. “The current administration has highlighted the need to increase energy supply, including electricity. With data centers AI has granted the support of the construction. And that is a source of new power at the same time solar and wind.”
Renewable energy has long been expected to overcome coal. Coal retirement decade and renewable energy facilities have seen technologies that place the country’s accumulated power. In 2022, a combination of wind, solar and other renewables like hydrorege and geothermal collectively ecliped Coal.
Now they are doing the wind and the sun on their own. Data released by the US Energy Information Administration This week, last year, 669 Combined Terawatt-Hour has created a combined 669-terawatt-electric hour, compared to coal 652TWh, the agency said the Agency said. Renewable generation rose to 756 TWH in the accounting of solar solar solar production.
The landmark is outstanding. A decade ago, coal created almost 40% of the US energy generation while the wind and the sun had less than 5 percent. In 2024, the wind and the coal of the sun was naked for 15.2 percent of the creation of utility power.
Tipping points last year followed a rise in solar facilities. 30 GWK of new solar capacity installed in 2024. The wind installed another 5 GW, the lowest installation of the sector since 2014. However, the combination was enough last year with a 4.5 GW capacity that turned off the energy creation. That was the lowest level of coal retirement since 2011.
From a climate point of view, the challenge is that the generation of gas has grown in a faster clip in the last decade than the most renewables. The generation of gas rose by 66 percent, or between 738 Twh, 2014 and 2024, according to EIA figures. The wind and the sun rose by 240% at the time, but they have added less in absolute conditions: 471 twh.
In previous years, combining more gases, renewables and less charcoal pushed power down the power. Last year Emissions last year was 1.54 trillion, or below 29 percent below the 2014 level, according to EPA data.
There was another factor: in the past, the demand for power was quite flat, which was a cleaner alternative to high emission coal.
But this trend is ending. Last year, energy creation rose by 3 percent to increase electricity demand due to the needs of the data centers mainly and mounting. So while the country added a higher low-emission power, he helped to satisfy higher demands instead of replacing the dirtier alternatives. Put it in another way, without changing 1.54 million tonnes of US centers last year, centers sent 1.52 million tons of CO2.
Industry projections show the demand for potency that grow rapidly in their years, mostly because of data centers, but also those growing in electric vehicles and manufacturing operations.
“If we build more natural gas, our emissions will not be dropped. It could be flat like last year,” he said as a teacher who studies the Energy Industry of the University of Costa Samaras Caregie Caregie Caregie. “Earlier or later, we run out of charcoal to move.”
This story also appears Energywire.
Re-print E & E News Politico, with LLC’s permission. Copyright 2025. E & E News provides key news for energy and environmental professionals.
