https://cleantechnica.com/2018/06/28/us-renewables-over-20-as-coal-falls-to-27-eia/
[I would also recommend reading "Coal Wars" by Richard Martin.
Published in 2015, even I'm surprised to see how fast the world is
moving away from coal-fired power. Not long ago, U.S. electricity
generation was about 50% from coal. The shift is mostly to natural gas
(hello fracking) and renewables. This may not be the impression you are
getting about the future of coal from mainstream media sources in the
U.S. Note in particular that while coal-fired generation for the
4-month period (Jan-Apr 2018) is 27%, in April that figure was just
above 24%, which indicates a continuing dramatic move away from coal.]
US Renewables Nearly Tied With Nuclear At 20%, Coal Falls To 27%
June 28th, 2018 by Joshua S Hill
Renewable energy sources accounted for a fifth of US power generation
over the first third of 2018 according to new figures from the US Energy
Information Administration, as coal dropped to 27% of total electricity
generation.
The Energy Information Administration (EIA) published its ‘Electric
Power Monthly‘ report this week, revealing the latest energy statistics
across the country for and through to the month of April and the figures
continue to show the continued growth of the renewable energy industry
and the decline of the country’s coal industry.
For the month of April, coal generated a total of 73,489 megawatt-hours
(MWh), or 24.3% of the country’s total net generation. Natural gas
continued to dominate with 100,004 MWh, or 33%, while nuclear and
renewables continued to battle it out — nuclear with 19.5% and
renewables with 22% (all renewable energy sources including hydroelectric).
Drawing the timeframe out to account for the first four months of the
year, things looked relatively the same. Coal generated 354,926 MWh for
the first third of the year, or 27%, while natural gas accounted for 31%
with 409,806 MWh. Nuclear generated 265,559 MWh, or 20.3%, while
renewable energy generated a total of 254,170 MWh, or 19.5%.
Looking at the renewable energy industry specifically, solar increased
to provide 27,075 MWh for the first third of the year, or 2.07%, making
it the third-placed renewable energy source in the United States. Wind
energy accounted for 104,801 MWh, or 8.05%, marginally surpassing that
generated by hydropower, which generated 104,518 MWh, or 8.02%.
