Power sources
Study: Solar and wind energy exceed coal in the USA
The demand for electricity is increasing in the United States. An old energy source only plays a smaller role.
Despite the enthusiasm of US President Donald Trump for fossil energies, the proportion of renewable energies is growing in the United States. The proportion of wind and sun in the power supply for the first time with a total of 17 percent exceeded coal, which fell to 15 percent, as can be seen from an analysis of the Ember think tank.
According to the motto “Drill, Baby, Drill”, Trump wants to ensure that the USA promotes even more oil and gas.
After the electricity demand had stagnated for 14 years, it has increased again in recent years – in 2024 by about three percent. According to Ember, the higher demand and the decline in coal was compensated for by more solar and wind energy and gas. Despite the increased demand, the climate-damaging CO2 emissions during electricity continued to fall.
Ember director Daan Walter said that electricity demand continues to increase because new applications are always added, such as data centers or transport. This makes the arguments for solar and wind energy even stronger.
dpa
Source: Stern
