{"id":13620,"date":"2026-06-10T16:32:43","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T16:32:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=13620"},"modified":"2026-06-10T16:32:43","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T16:32:43","slug":"solar-power-hits-new-milestones-in-the-us-even-as-trump-boosts-coal-over-clean-energy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=13620","title":{"rendered":"Solar power hits new milestones in the US even as Trump boosts coal over clean energy"},"content":{"rendered":"

By JENNIFER McDERMOTT<\/strong><\/p>\n

Even as President Donald Trump boosts coal over clean energy, solar power is hitting new milestones in the U.S. and remains the leading source of new power.<\/p>

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Data released Wednesday by global energy think tank Ember, along with a report by the Solar Energy Industries Association and analytics firm Wood Mackenzie, show the continued growth of solar and decline of coal in the United States despite federal policy. In May, for the first time, solar supplied more of the nation\u2019s electricity than coal, or 12.8%, Ember said. Coal supplied 12.2%, its fourth-lowest monthly share ever.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor years solar power has risen in the U.S. electricity mix,\u201d said Nicolas Fulghum, senior energy and data analyst at Ember. \u201cAt the same time, coal power has lost its status, first as the largest source in the U.S. mix, and then gradually over the years has fallen even further.\u201d<\/p>\n

Solar also became the third-largest source of electricity in the U.S. in May, behind natural gas and nuclear, Fulghum said. Coal generation hit an all-time monthly low in April and rebounded only modestly in May, allowing increasing solar generation to overtake coal, he added.<\/p>\n

Electricity is produced by converting sources of energy \u2014 fossil fuels, renewable resources and nuclear \u2014 into electrical power. Burning coal, oil and natural gas for electricity emits carbon dioxide, trapping heat in the atmosphere and warming the planet. By contrast, solar, wind, geothermal, hydropower and nuclear are carbon-free.<\/p>\n

After about two decades of essentially flat electricity consumption in the U.S., electricity demand is increasing to power artificial intelligence, grow domestic manufacturing and electrify transportation and heating. Fulghum said he expects to see more months where solar exceeds coal generation, before overtaking it on an annual basis in a few years.<\/p>\n

These milestones signify that solar \u201chas staying power\u201d at a time where there\u2019s less support for renewable energy at the federal level, he added.<\/p>

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Wind and solar combined have overtaken coal in the past, and wind power alone has outpaced coal during spring months when wind speeds pick up. Ember gets its hourly and monthly data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.<\/p>\n

Globally, electricity generation from renewables is growing rapidly. Renewables will become the largest global energy source, used for almost 45% of electricity generation by 2030, according to the International Energy Agency.<\/p>\n