Renewable sources surpassed coal’s energy production for the first time in April

June 27 (UPI) --

The United States generated more energy from renewable sources than from coal for the first time in April, the Energy Information Administration said.

An EIA report released late Tuesday showed that 23 percent of the energy generated in the United States in the month of April came from renewable sources such as wind, solar, hydroelectric and geothermal power while 20 percent came from coal.

Renewable energy accounted for 68.5 million megawatt-hours of power, more than the 60 million megawatt-hours produced by coal.

This outcome reflects both seasonal factors as well as long-term increases in renewable generation and decreases in coal generation, the EIA said.

The spring and early fall months generally see less electricity use due to a lack of demand for heating and cooling. As a result, coal generators also tend to go under maintenance during these periods of time.

The EIA noted that coal has declined from its energy-producing peak a decade ago, as 47 gigawatts of coal-fired capacity has shut down and no new coal capacity has come online since 2015.

However, the EIA predicts coal will provide more electricity generation than renewable energy sources for the remainder of 2019.

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