It’s becoming a familiar sight across America: coal-fired smokestacks looming over towns and cities that no longer produce any smoke, a testament to the clean energy revolution currently taking place. Coal, long the king of the power sector, has already been dethroned by natural gas, a much cleaner burning fossil fuel. Now, coal is facing intensifying pressure from wind and solar power. In fact, the renewable energy sector is projected to generate more electricity than coal during the month of April, something that has never happened before. The problem with coal is economics. Wind and solar costs have plunged so drastically that 74% of the US coal fleet could be replaced by renewable energy and still save customers money. Plus, America’s coal power plants aren’t getting any younger. The average coal plant is about 40 years old. Coal plants typically last around 40 to 60 years before getting phased out. As they age, these plants require more maintenance and repairs. Rather than build new coal plants, it makes much more sense for utility companies to build renewable infrastructure. With April set to be the first month where renewables outcompete coal power, it looks as if it’s the beginning of the end for coal power in America.
Renewables are set to start outpacing coal power this month
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